Adjective, mainly used as a noun. Expert or knowledgeable in something. As a noun, in Legal Spanish we use this term to make reference to the expert who gives evidence in a hearing (audiencia pericial) or by a document (informe pericial). E.g.: Homicidio de Tino John: Un perito afirma que no hubo enfrentamiento: Homicide of Tino John: An expert witness affirms that there was no confrontation.
The adjective is pericial and the verb is peritar: to judge expertly.
My country has a famous glacier in the South called Perito Moreno. When I was a child, I assumed that Perito was the Christian name of a chap called Moreno, or a version of Pedrito (Pete), after all everybody called my father Pierino (Pete in Italian); but no, Mr. Moreno was an Argentine explorer who in 1902 was appointed perito, in which capacity he disproved Chilean claims to the continental divide in the Southern Cone and he was awarded with a glacier named after him. His name was Francisco Pancracio Moreno. I guess you understand why we prefer to call him just Perito. dc

La palabra del día: Perito/a

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