Online Etymology Dictionary

periwig (n.): 1520s, perwyke, popular corruption of perruck, from Middle French perruque (see peruke).
periwinkle (n.1): evergreen plant, c.1500, diminutive of parvink (12c.), from Old English perwince, from Late Latin pervinca "periwinkle" (4c.), from Latin, perhaps from pervincire "to entwine, bind," from per- "thoroughly" (see per) + vincire "to bind, fetter" (see wind (v.1)).
periwinkle (n.2): kind of sea snail, 1520s, apparently an alteration of Old English pinewincle (probably by influence of Middle English parvink; see periwinkle (n.1)); from Old English pine-, which probably is from Latin pina "mussel," from Greek pine. The second element is wincel "corner; spiral shell," from Proto-Germanic *winkil-, from PIE root *weng- "to bend, curve" (see wink (v.)).
perjure (v.): mid-15c. "swear falsely" (implied in perjured; late 13c. in Anglo-French), from Old French parjurer "to break one's word, renege on a promise" (11c.), from Latin periurare "to swear falsely, break one's oath" (see perjury). Reflexive sense is from 18c.
perjury (n.): late 14c., "act of swearing to a statement known to be false," via Anglo-French perjurie (late 13c.) and Old French parjurée "perjury, false witness," both from Latin periurium "a false oath," from periurare "swear falsely," from per- "away, entirely" (see per) + iurare "to swear" (see jury (n.)). Related: Perjurious.
perk (v.): late 14c., "to make oneself trim or smart," perhaps from Old North French perquer "to perch" (Modern French percher; see perch (n.1)), on notion of a bird preening its plumage. Sense of "raise oneself briskly" is first attested 1520s; perk up "recover liveliness" is from 1650s. Related: Perked; perking.
perk (n.): 1869, shortened and altered form of perquisite (q.v.); as a verb, 1934 as shortened and altered form of percolate.
perky (adj.): 1820, from perk (v.) + -y (2). Of young women's breasts since at least 1937. Related: Perkily; perkiness.
perm (n.): 1927, shortened form of permanent wave (1909). The verb is first recorded 1928.
permaculture (n.): by 1978, from permanent + agriculture or culture.
permafrost (n.): 1943, coined in English by Russian-born U.S. geologist Siemon W. Muller (1900-1970) from perm(anent) frost.
permanence (n.): early 15c., from Middle French permanence and directly from Medieval Latin permanentia (early 14c.), from Latin permanens (see permanent). Related: Permanency.
permanent (adj.): early 15c., from Middle French permanent (14c.) or directly from Latin permanentem (nominative permanens) "remaining," present participle of permanere "endure, hold out, continue, stay to the end," from per- "through" (see per) + manere "stay" (see mansion). As a noun meaning "permanent wave," by 1909. Of clothing, permanent press attested from 1964.
permanently (adv.): late 15c., from permanent + -ly (2).
permeability (n.): 1733, from permeable + -ity, or else from French perméabilité.
permeable (adj.): early 15c., from Late Latin permeabilis "that can be passed through, passable," from Latin permeare "to pass through, go over," from per- "through" (see per) + meare "to pass," from PIE root *mei- "to change" (see mutable). Related: Permeably.
permeant (adj.): 1640s, from Latin permeantem (nominative permeans), present participle of permeare "to pass through" (see permeable).
permeate (v.): 1650s, from Latin permeatus, past participle of permeare "to pass through" (see permeable). Related: Permeated; permeating.
permeation (n.): 1620s, noun of action from Latin permeare (see permeate).
Permian: 1841, "pertaining to the uppermost strata of the Paleozoic era," named by British geologist Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (1792-1871) for the region of Perm in northwestern Russia, where rocks from this epoch are found.
permissible (adj.): early 15c., from Old French permissible (15c.) and directly from Medieval Latin permissibilis, from permiss-, past participle stem of Latin permittere (see permit (v.)).
permission (n.): early 15c., from Latin permissionem (nominative permissio), noun of action from past participle stem of permittere (see permit (v.)).
permissive (adj.): c.1600, "allowing to pass through," from Old French permissif, from Latin permiss-, past participle stem of permittere "to let go, let pass, let loose" (see permit (v.)). In sense of "tolerant, liberal" it is first recorded 1956; by 1966 it had definite overtones of sexual freedom. Earlier it meant "permitted, allowed" (early 15c.). Related: Permissively; permissiveness.
permit (v.): late 15c., from Middle French permetre and directly from Latin permittere "let pass, let go, let loose; give up, hand over; let, allow, grant, permit," from per- "through" (see per) + mittere "let go, send" (see mission). Related: Permitted; permitting.
permit (n.): "written statement of permission or license," 1714, from permit (v.).
permutate (v.): 1898 in modern use, "change the order of," from Latin permutatus, past participle of permutare (see permutation). "Probably regarded by those who use it as a back-formation from permutation" [OED]. Related: Permutated; permutating.
permutation (n.): mid-14c., from Old French permutacion "change, shift" (14c.), from Latin permutationem (nominative permutatio) "a change, alteration, revolution," noun of action from past participle stem of permutare "change thoroughly, exchange," from per- "thoroughly" (see per) + mutare "to change" (see mutable).
permute (v.): late 14c., "to change one for another," from French permuter or directly from Latin permutare "to change thoroughly" (see permutation). Mathematical sense from 1878.
pernicious (adj.): early 15c., from Middle French pernicios (13c., Modern French pernicieux) and directly from Latin perniciosus "destructive," from pernicies "destruction, death, ruin," from per- "completely" (see per) + necis "violent death, murder," related to necare "to kill," nocere "to hurt, injure, harm," noxa "harm, injury" (see noxious). Related: Perniciously; perniciousness.
pernickety (adj.): 1808 (pernicktie, in Jamieson), "precise, fastidious," extended form of Scottish pernicky, of uncertain origin, perhaps somehow from particular.
perorate (v.): c.1600, back-formation from peroration, or else from Latin peroratus, past participle of perorare. Related: Perorated; perorating.
peroration (n.): mid-15c., from Latin perorationem (nominative peroratio) "the ending of a speech or argument of a case," from past participle stem of perorare "argue a case to the end, bring a speech to a close," from per- "to the end" (see per) + orare "to speak, plead" (see orator).
peroxide (n.): 1804, formed in English from per- "large amount" + oxide. Peroxide blonde is attested from 1918.
perp (n.): American English police slang shortening of perpetrator (e.g. perp walk); by 1940s.
perpendicular (adj.): late 15c., from adverb (late 14c.), from Old French perpendiculer, from Latin perpendicularis "vertical, as a plumb line," from perpendiculum "plumb line," from perpendere "balance carefully," from per- "thoroughly" (see per) + pendere "to weigh, to hang" (see pendant). As a noun from 1570s. Related: Perpendicularly; perpendicularity.
perpensity (n.): "attention," 1704, from Latin perpensus "deliberate," past participle of perpendere "balance carefully" (see perpendicular) + -ity. Noted as obsolete by late 19c.
perpetrate (v.): 1540s, from Latin perpetratus, past participle of perpetrare "to perform, to accomplish," from per- "completely" + patrare "carry out," originally "bring into existence," from pater "father" (see father (n.)). Earlier in English was perpetren, mid-15c., from Old French perpetrer. Neither good nor bad in Latin, first used in English in statutes, hence its sense of "to perform criminally." Related: Perpetrated; perpetrating.
perpetration (n.): mid-15c., from Late Latin perpetrationem (nominative perpetratio) "an accomplishing, performing," noun of action from past participle stem of perpetrare "to perform, accomplish" (see perpetrate).
perpetrator (n.): literally "the one who did it" (in English usually an evil act), 1560s, from Late Latin perpetrator, agent noun of perpetrare "to perform, to accomplish" (see perpetrate). Fem. forms are perpetratress (1811, of Nero's poisoner Locusta); perpetratrix (1862, in reference to Charlotte Corday).
perpetual (adj.): mid-14c., from Old French perpetuel "without end" (12c.) and directly from Latin perpetualis "universal," in Medieval Latin "permanent," from perpetuus "continuous, universal," from perpetis, genitive of Old Latin perpes "lasting," probably from per- "through" + root of petere "to seek, go to, aim at" (see petition (n.)). Related: Perpetually. Perpetual motion is attested from 1590s.
perpetuate (v.): 1520s, a back-formation from perpetuation or else from Latin perpetuatus, past participle of perpetuare "to make perpetual," from perpetuus (see perpetual). Related: Perpetuated; Perpetuating.
perpetuation (n.): late 14c., from Medieval Latin perpetuationem (nominative perpetuatio), noun of action from past participle stem of perpetuare (see perpetuate).
perpetuity (n.): late 14c., from Old French perpetuité "permanence, duration" (13c., Modern French perpétuité) and directly from Latin perpetuitatem (nominative perpetuitas) "uninterrupted duration, continuity, continuous succession," from perpetuus (see perpetual).
perpetuous (adj.): "perpetual," 1610s, from Latin perpetuus "continuous, unbroken, uninterrupted" (see perpetual).
perplex (v.): late 14c. as an adjective, "perplexed, puzzled, bewildered," from Latin perplexus "involved, confused, intricate;" but Latin had no corresponding verb *perplectere. The Latin compound would be per "through" (see per) + plexus "entangled," past participle of plectere "to twine, braid, fold" (see complex (adj.)).

The form of the English adjective shifted to perplexed by late 15c., probably to conform to other past participle adjectives. The verb is latest attested of the group, in 1590s, evidently a back-formation from the adjective. Related: Perplexing, which well describes the history of the word.
perplexed (adj.): late 15c., past participle adjective; see perplex. A case of a past participle form attested centuries before the verb (perplex isn't recorded until 17c.). Related: Perplexedly; perplexedness.
perplexity (n.): c.1300, "bewilderment," from Old French perplexite "confusion, perplexity," from Late Latin perplexitatem (nominative perplexitas), from Latin perplexus "confused, involved, interwoven," from per- "completely" + plexus "entangled," past participle of plectere "to twine" (see complex (adj.)). From 1590s as "something that causes perplexity."
perquisite (n.): mid-15c., "property acquired other than by inheritance," from Medieval Latin perquisitum "thing gained, profit," in classical Latin, "thing sought after," noun use of neuter past participle of perquirere "to seek, ask for," from per- "thoroughly" (see per) + quærere "to seek" (see query (v.)). For Latin vowel change, see acquisition. General meaning "fee or profit on top of regular wages" first recorded 1560s.
Perrier: proprietary name of a natural mineral water from southern France, first attested in English 1904.
Perry: surname attested from late 12c., literally "dweller by the pear tree."