tr.v., -trat·ed, -trat·ing, -trates.
To be responsible for; commit: perpetrate a crime; perpetrate a practical joke.
[Latin perpetrāre, perpetrāt-, to accomplish : per-, per- + patrāre, to bring about (from pater, father).]
perpetration per'pe·tra'tion n.perpetrator per'pe·tra'tor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
