Dictionary

purrfectly en · ADV · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

From perfectly with the first syllable altered to purr. Compare purrfect.

Meanings

1. (colloquial, humorous) Perfectly, in contexts relating to cats.
   • Cats and basketball may not seem like a good mix, but for one Chicago-area man, they go together, um, purr'''fectly. 2015 June 25, Marissa Payne, “Hoops is catnip for ‘NBA Catwatch’”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Jul 2024:
   • There was a purrfectly good bowl of food back at the house. 2007, Tim Steffen, Susan Ann Thornton, “Into the Woods”, in Saving Faith: The Adventures of Baby Cat in Cherry Grove, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 29:
   • Hello Kitty Hello Everything! Abrams Purrfectly pretty collectibles 2005, “Action/Adventure”, in Books for the Teen Age 2005, 76th edition, New York, N.Y.: New York Public Library, →ISBN, page 36, column 3:

Forms

purrfectly en · ADV · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. (alt-of, pronunciation-spelling) Pronunciation spelling of perfectly.
   alt of perfectly
   • “We are purrfectly sober,” said Murphy, as if answering an accusation. 1899, W[illiam] F[ry] Shannon, “A Fight in the Dark”, in The Mess Deck, London: Lawrence and Bullen, Ltd. […], page 185:
   • An Amurrcan Girl. Father, see up there; there’s Byron. Did you erver see such a purrfectly beautiful face? 1891 January 24, [Thomas Anstey Guthrie], “Voces Populi. At the Guelph Exhibition.”, in Punch, or The London Charivari, volume C, London: […] Bradbury, Agnew, & Co. […], page 40, column 2:
   • We have heard of a Writer to the Signet who spoke such exceedingly high English that a professional brother bluntly pronounced his conversation to be “purrfectly unintelligible.” 1898 June, “Among the Young Lions”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXIII, number DCCCCXCII, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publication Co., […], page 738, column 2:

Forms