different between perceive vs peruse

English

Alternative forms

• perceave (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English perceiven, borrowed from Old French percevoir, perceveir, from Latin percipi?, past participle perceptus (“take hold of, obtain, receive, observe”), from per (“by, through”) + capi? (“to take”); see capable. Compare conceive, deceive, receive.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??si?v/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /p??siv/
• Rhymes: -i?v
• Hyphenation: per?ceive

Verb

perceive (third-person singular simple present perceives, present participle perceiving, simple past and past participle perceived)

1. (transitive) To become aware of, through the physical senses or by thinking; to see; to understand.

Synonyms

• ken

Related terms

• perception
• percept

Translations

References

• perceive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

English

Etymology

From per- +? use, from either Medieval Latin (peruti, perusitare (“wear out”)) or Anglo-Norman (peruser (“use up”)), originally leading to two concurrent meanings, but only those derived from "to examine" survive today.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /p???u?z/
• Rhymes: -u?z

Verb

peruse (third-person singular simple present peruses, present participle perusing, simple past and past participle perused)

1. (transitive) To examine or consider with care.
2. (transitive) To read completely.
3. (transitive, informal) To look over casually; to skim.
4. (intransitive, regional) To go from place to place; to wander.

Usage notes

• The sense of "skimming" is proscribed by some authorities on usage, including the Oxford American Dictionary. The shift, however, is not dissimilar to that found in scan, and thus, interestingly, peruse and scan are a synonym pair in which each is a contranym meaning either "to read carefully" or "to read hastily". To avoid ambiguity—and reader annoyance—careful writers may prefer skim when skimming is meant or scrutinize when care is meant. The Oxford English Dictionary further notes that the word peruse was used as a general synonym for read as far back as the 16th century.

Derived terms

• perusable
• perusal
• peruser

Translations

Noun

peruse (plural peruses)

1. An examination or perusal; an instance of perusing.
   • 2008, Dave Robson, "Hi-tea, low cost!", Evening Gazette online, September 12,

     A peruse of the website looked promising […]

Translations

Anagrams

• persue, purees, purées, rupees

Latin

Participle

peruse

1. vocative masculine singular of perusus