perform

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English performen, parfournen (“to perform”), from Anglo-Norman performer, parfourmer, alteration of Old French parfornir, parfurnir (“to complete, accomplish, perform”), from par- + fornir, furnir (“to accomplish, furnish”), from Frankish *frummjan (“to accomplish, furnish”), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną, *framjaną (“to further, promote”), from Proto-Indo-European *promo- (“in front, forth”), *per- (“forward, out”). Cognate with Old High German frummen (“to do, execute, accomplish, provide”), Old Saxon frummian (“to perform, promote”), Old English fremman (“to perform, execute, carry out, accomplish”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌿𐌼𐌾𐌰𐌽 (frumjan, “to promote, accomplish”). See also frame, from. Modernly, rather than Proto-Germanic *frumjaną, associated with Latin formō, analyzable as per- + form.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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perform (third-person singular simple present performs, present participle performing, simple past and past participle performed)

  1. (transitive) To do (something); to execute.
    The scientists performed several experiments.
    It took him only twenty minutes to perform the task.
    • 2013 July-August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American Scientist:
      Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.
  2. (intransitive) To exhibit an expected pattern of behavior; to function; to work.
    The new employee performs well.
    • 2003, “P.I.M.P.”, in Get Rich or Die Tryin', performed by 50 Cent:
      I could care less how she perform when she in the bed
    1. (sexology, uncommon) Of a man, to be able to initiate or fulfill an act of sexual intercourse.
  3. (law) To act in a way set forth in a contract.
    1. (transitive) To act in accordance with (a contract); to fulfill one’s terms of (a contract).
      Failure to perform a contract on time may constitute a breach of contract.
    2. (intransitive) To fulfill contractually agreed-to terms.
      They entered into an agreement and now they are obliged to perform.
  4. (transitive, intransitive) To do (something) in front of an audience, such as acting or music, often in order to entertain.
    She will perform in the play.
    The magician performed badly—none of his tricks worked.
    The string quartet performed three pieces by Haydn.
  5. (by extension, transitive) To behave theatrically so as to give the impression of (a quality, character trait, etc.); to feign.
    The accused only performed remorse.
    • 2021, David Edgerton, “The one good thing to come out of Brexit: a bonfire of national illusions”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      As things now stand, Brexit is a pointless gesture, a politics of headlines in which sovereignty is performed by bleating world-beating absurdities.
  6. (social sciences) Of a social actor, to behave in certain ways.
    1. (transitive) To behave in accordance with, and thereby in turn shape, (a social notion or role).
      perform masculinity
      perform authority
      • 2022 September 9, Sophie Gilbert, “No One Performed Britishness Better Than Her Majesty”, in The Atlantic‎[2]:
        Even before her seven decades as monarch began, she performed Britishness more intuitively than anyone ever had, or likely ever will again.
    2. (intransitive) To behave in ways that carry meaning in social contexts.
      Individuals in societies perform all the time.

Conjugation

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Conjugation of perform
infinitive (to) perform
present tense past tense
1st-person singular perform performed
2nd-person singular perform, performest† performed, performedst†
3rd-person singular performs, performeth† performed
plural perform
subjunctive perform performed
imperative perform —
participles performing performed

†Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Swahili

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English perform.

Verb

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-perform (infinitive kuperform)

  1. (Sheng) to perform

Conjugation

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Conjugation of -perform
Positive present -naperform
Subjunctive -perform
Negative -perform
Imperative singular perform
Infinitives
Positive kuperform
Negative kutoperform
Imperatives
Singular perform
Plural performni
Tensed forms
Habitual huperform
Positive past positive subject concord + -liperform
Negative past negative subject concord + -kuperform
Positive present (positive subject concord + -naperform)
Singular Plural
1st person ninaperform/naperform tunaperform
2nd person unaperform mnaperform
3rd person m-wa(I/II) anaperform wanaperform
other classes positive subject concord + -naperform
Negative present (negative subject concord + -perform)
Singular Plural
1st person siperform hatuperform
2nd person huperform hamperform
3rd person m-wa(I/II) haperform hawaperform
other classes negative subject concord + -perform
Positive future positive subject concord + -taperform
Negative future negative subject concord + -taperform
Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord + -perform)
Singular Plural
1st person niperform tuperform
2nd person uperform mperform
3rd person m-wa(I/II) aperform waperform
other classes positive subject concord + -perform
Negative subjunctive positive subject concord + -siperform
Positive present conditional positive subject concord + -ngeperform
Negative present conditional positive subject concord + -singeperform
Positive past conditional positive subject concord + -ngaliperform
Negative past conditional positive subject concord + -singaliperform
Gnomic (positive subject concord + -aperform)
Singular Plural
1st person naperform twaperform
2nd person waperform mwaperform
3rd person m-wa(I/II) aperform waperform
m-mi(III/IV) waperform yaperform
ji-ma(V/VI) laperform yaperform
ki-vi(VII/VIII) chaperform vyaperform
n(IX/X) yaperform zaperform
u(XI) waperform see n(X) or ma(VI) class
ku(XV/XVII) kwaperform
pa(XVI) paperform
mu(XVIII) mwaperform
Perfect positive subject concord + -meperform
"Already" positive subject concord + -meshaperform
"Not yet" negative subject concord + -japerform
"If/When" positive subject concord + -kiperform
"If not" positive subject concord + -sipoperform
Consecutive kaperform / positive subject concord + -kaperform
Consecutive subjunctive positive subject concord + -kaperform
Object concord (indicative positive)
Singular Plural
1st person -niperform -tuperform
2nd person -kuperform -waperform/-kuperformni/-waperformni
3rd person m-wa(I/II) -mperform -waperform
m-mi(III/IV) -uperform -iperform
ji-ma(V/VI) -liperform -yaperform
ki-vi(VII/VIII) -kiperform -viperform
n(IX/X) -iperform -ziperform
u(XI) -uperform see n(X) or ma(VI) class
ku(XV/XVII) -kuperform
pa(XVI) -paperform
mu(XVIII) -muperform
Reflexive -jiperform
Relative forms
General positive (positive subject concord + (object concord) + -perform- + relative marker)
Singular Plural
m-wa(I/II) -performye -performo
m-mi(III/IV) -performo -performyo
ji-ma(V/VI) -performlo -performyo
ki-vi(VII/VIII) -performcho -performvyo
n(IX/X) -performyo -performzo
u(XI) -performo see n(X) or ma(VI) class
ku(XV/XVII) -performko
pa(XVI) -performpo
mu(XVIII) -performmo
Other forms (subject concord + tense marker + relative marker + (object concord) + -perform)
Singular Plural
m-wa(I/II) -yeperform -operform
m-mi(III/IV) -operform -yoperform
ji-ma(V/VI) -loperform -yoperform
ki-vi(VII/VIII) -choperform -vyoperform
n(IX/X) -yoperform -zoperform
u(XI) -operform see n(X) or ma(VI) class
ku(XV/XVII) -koperform
pa(XVI) -poperform
mu(XVIII) -moperform
Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.
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