phrase
Latin
Per Se
lit. “by itself”
Intrinsically, on its own terms.
Origin
A scholastic philosophy term distinguishing what a thing is *in itself* from what it is *in relation to other things*. Survived into English mostly as a hedge word.
Modern usage
Common as a softener: 'It's not bad per se, but…' — implying a caveat is coming.
Tags
qualifier
philosophy