Committed or carried out a wrongdoing, crime, or harmful act.
From Latin 'perpetrare' (to bring about), combining 'per' (through, completely) and 'patrare' (to accomplish). Entered English in the 1600s specifically for serious crimes or wrongs.
Perpetrated almost always describes something bad—you perpetrate crimes, hoaxes, or violence, but you wouldn't say someone perpetrated an act of kindness. This shows how language embeds moral judgment into grammar.
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