per se UK /pəˈseɪ/US /pɚˈseɪ/adverb 4adjective 2 adverb4 •Without determination by or involvement of extraneous factors; by its very nature.Some people say that a hangover is caused by impurities in the drink, not by the alcohol per se. •As the principle of its own determination and positing itself.Everything not applying per se in one of these two senses is called an accident. — 1988 •Not leaving discretion to the judge to take into account additional factors that could rebut the judgment, deriving the qualification from the statute.The law makes drunk driving illegal per se. •In a true or literal sense; as one would expect from the name or description.It's not a museum per se, but they do have some interesting artefacts. adjective2 •Positing itself and being a principle of its own determination.Hence, God would have to be the immediate per se cause of some natural motions, but not of all. But no known natural motion is without a natural motion as its immediate per se cause. — 1980 •That does not leave discretion to the judge to take into account additional factors that could rebut the judgment, deriving the qualification from the statute.CBS (441 U.S. 1 [1979]) explains, the per se rule against price-fixing isn't to be taken literally. — 2006
