| perfect tense |
| Definition: The verb aspect that pertains to completion. It is formed from -ed participles and the auxiliary have. |
| Example:
(1) He has eaten (present perfect) (2) He had eaten (past perfect tense or pluperfect) (3) He has been eating (present continuous progressive perfect) (4) He had been eating (past continuous progressive perfect) (5) He will have eaten (future perfect) (6) He will have been eating (future continuous progressive perfect) |
| Etymology: The term derives from the Latin perfectus, fully done. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first OED citation is from 1530: "Verbes parsonall be of thre sortes, parfyte, anomales, and defectyves." (Palsgr. Introd. 30) |