per-unit

The term "per-unit" is a modern English compound formed by combining the Latin preposition "per," meaning "through" or "for each," with the noun "unit," which traces back to the Latin "unitas" (oneness). The logic is directly mathematical and distributive: "per" establishes a rate or ratio, while "unit" specifies the single, indivisible entity serving as the basis for that calculation. This construction follows a clear grammatical pattern seen in phrases like "per capita" (by heads) or "per annum" (by year), adapting it to a general commercial and technical context. Thus, the compound transparently denotes a measurement or cost applied to each individual item or standard measure within a larger set.

Structure: per (through, by) + unit (single thing) per: Latin origin, meaning "through, by, by means of". In this compound, it functions as a prepositional prefix meaning "for each". unit: From Latin 'unitas' (unity, oneness), via French 'unite'. It functions as the noun base meaning "a single individual thing or entity".