perform
Definitions
To carry out a task, action, or function.
执行；履行；完成
To present a play, piece of music, or other entertainment to an audience.
演出；表演
To function or behave in a particular way, especially under conditions.
运转；表现（在某条件下）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFolk-etymologically: per- (through, thoroughly) + form (shape) = 'to shape through to completion,' i.e. to complete an action. (The true source is Old French parfornir / parfounir 'to provide, complete,' but English speakers reinterpreted it as per + form.) Every modern use — performing on stage, performing a duty, a car performing well — has the core sense of bringing something to its full intended shape.
Root form still carries 39 more wordsWhy It Means This
Perform sits at an interesting etymological crossroads. The Old French source meant «to complete, supply,» but Middle English speakers folk-etymologized it into per- + form — and that folk etymology is so natural that modern speakers think of «performing» as «bringing something to full form.» Whether you perform on stage (bring a script to full embodiment), perform a task (bring it to completion), or perform well (bring out your capabilities), the underlying image is the same: a thing in its complete, realized shape.
Usage Guide
- Carry out (neutral/formal): 'perform a task,' 'perform an experiment,' 'perform surgery' — completing a defined action
- Stage (arts): 'perform on stage,' 'perform a song' — for an audience
- Function (technical): 'the engine performs well at altitude,' 'performance metrics' — operate, work
- Sports: 'the team performed badly' — show ability
- Stress: per-FORM (verb, stress on second syllable)
Example Sentences
- 1.
The surgeon will perform the operation tomorrow.
- 2.
The band performed three songs at the festival.
- 3.
How does the new model perform in cold weather?
- 4.
She performed her duties with great professionalism.