Through; by means of; through the agency of; by; for; for each; as, per annum; per capita, by heads, or according to individuals; per curiam, by the court; per se, by itself, of itself. Per is also sometimes used with English words. [1913 Webster]
per, prep.
1 for each; for every (two sweets per child; five miles per hour).
2 by means of; by; through (per post; per rail).
3 (in full as per) in accordance with (as per instructions).
4 Heraldry in the direction of.
Idiom:
as per usual colloq. as usual.
Etymology:
L
N instrumentality, aid, subservience, subserviency, mediation, intervention, medium, intermedium, vehicle, hand, agency, minister, handmaid, midwife, accoucheur, accoucheuse, obstetrician, gobetween, cat's-paw, stepping-stone, opener, key, master key, passkey, latchkey, open sesame, passport, passe-partout, safe-conduct, password, instrument, expedient, means, instrumental, useful, ministerial, subservient, mediatorial, intermediate, intervening, conducive, through, by, per, whereby, thereby, hereby, by the agency of, by dint of, by virtue of, in virtue of, through the medium of, along with, on the shoulders of, by means of, by the aid of, with the aid of, per fas et nefas, by fair means or foul, somehow, somehow or other, by hook or by crook.
beats per minute, bits per inch, bits per second, charge per unit, count per minute, cycle per second, earning per share, force per unit area, gigacycle per second, kilocycle per second, kilometers per hour, kilometres per hour, megacycle per second, miles per gallon, miles per hour, million floating point operations per second, million instructions per second, per annum, per capita, per capita income, per centum, per diem, per se, per year, pounds per square inch, revolutions per minute, trillion floating point operations per second, words per minute