perfecta
UK[pəˈfɛktə]US[pərˈfɛktə]
n
a type of bet, especially in horse or dog racing, in which the bettor must select the first two finishers in the correct order.
Morpheme Breakdown
perfect
a
perfect
complete
a
Etymology
the word 'perfecta' is a modern american english coinage, directly borrowed from american spanish. it is built upon the latin adjective 'perfectus', meaning 'completed' or 'finished', which itself derives from the verb 'perficere' ('to finish', from 'per-' thoroughly + 'facere' to do). the suffix '-a' is a common spanish nominal ending. the term entered english specifically in the context of parimutuel betting, where it logically denotes a bet that is 'perfect' or 'complete' only if the bettor correctly predicts the exact finishing order. thus, a classical root meaning 'thoroughly done' evolved into the specialized gambling term for a precisely ordered prediction.
Analysis
Structure: perfect + a
perfect: from latin 'perfectus' (completed, finished), functioning as the core adjective/verb meaning 'complete' or 'make flawless'.
a: a suffix, often of spanish or latin origin, used to form nouns, indicating a thing associated with the root.
Examples
he won a large payout after successfully picking the trifecta and the perfecta in the sixth race.
the perfecta bet is more challenging than a simple win bet because it requires selecting the top two finishers in exact sequence.
she studied the racing forms carefully before placing her perfecta wager.