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Added 9 October 2026

perforate

verb

In Latin: terebrō First recorded: 1425 Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). More about perforate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To pierce; to penetrate.
To make a line of holes in (a thin material) to allow separation at the line.
to perforate a sheet of postage stamps

adjective

Perforated.
Perforated, having a hole.
Perforated.

Origin

The adjective is first attested in 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English perforat(e) (“perforated, pierced”), borrowed from Latin perforātus, the perfect passive participle of perforō (“to bore or pierce through, to perforate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from per- (“through, thorough”) + forō (“to bore, pierce”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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