early 15c., "hole made through something;" mid-15c., "action of perforating," from Middle French perforation or directly from Late Latin perforationem (nominative perforatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin perforare "bore or pierce through," from per "through" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + forare "to pierce" (from PIE root *bhorh- "hole").
