Legal Dictionary

per se

Legal Definition of per se

Related terms


Definition of per se

Etymology

    From Latin per se (“by itself”), from per (“by, through”), and se (“itself, himself, herself, themselves”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA: /pəːˈseɪ/
  • (US) IPA: /pɚːˈseɪ/

Adverb

per se (not comparable)

  1. By itself; without consideration of extraneous factors.

    The law makes drunk driving illegal per se.

  2. (chiefly in negative polarity environments) As such; as one would expect from the name.

    Well, that's not correct per se, but the situation is something like that.

  3. (law) As a matter of law.

Usage notes

  • Because this is originally a Latin phrase, it is sometimes italicized when it is written.

Further reading

Per se may refer to:

References:

  1. Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.



SHARE THIS PAGE

TOP LEGAL TERMS THIS WEEK
1.     lex causae
2.     lex fori
3.     landed property
4.     lex situs
5.     ownership
6.     conclusive presumption
7.     sabotage
8.     AORO
9.     lex loci delicti commissi
10.     Miranda warning