Perfect - Definition and Overview

The term perfect has different meanings:

• For the mathematical concept, see perfect number.
• For the philosophical concept, see perfection.
• The grammatical idea is described in perfect tense.
• In botany and mycology, an organism is considered perfect if it is capable of sexual reproduction; otherwise it is imperfect. The terms have nothing to do with the quality of an organism.
  • Fungi in the Division Deuteromycota (informally called the Fungi imperfecti) are so classified because sexual reproduction is unknown (or may not occur) in these species.
  • A flower is called perfect (synoecious) if it has both male and female reproductive parts. A perfect or bisexual flower has both stamens and an ovary. If a flower has just male or just female parts it is termed imperfect.
  • Hermaphrodite angiosperms are considered perfect relative to all other seed-bearing plants.
• Perfect (http://jkco.net/jkco/Perfect.doc/) is also the name of an underground, semi-short story by J. M. Wax, which has achieved somewhat cult status among many high-schoolers and budding writers.