What does perm mean?
Perm is an informal word with two quite different everyday meanings. Most commonly, it means permission: someone asks for or gives a perm to do something. In a hair salon, a perm is a permanent wave, a chemical treatment that restructures the hair so that it curls or waves and retains that shape when washed. The related verb can mean to give someone permission, as in “They permed me to leave early,” or to give hair a permanent wave. The word is concise and conversational, and is used in both British and American English. It can occasionally cause ambiguity in conversation, but the surrounding context usually makes the intended meaning clear. The hairstyle sense is the older established use in modern English, while the shortened sense meaning permission became established during the 20th century.
Informal permission to do something.
"The coach gave the players perm to travel by train."
Informal and conversational; more common in speech than in formal writing.
A permanent wave in the hair, or the chemical treatment used to create one.
"She had a perm that made her hair fall in loose curls."
Standard hair-care terminology; often used with get, have, or give.
Informally, to give someone permission to do something.
"The manager permed the team to speak with the clients."
Informal and less common than the noun meaning permission.
To give hair a permanent wave by chemical treatment.
"The stylist permed her hair before cutting it."
Standard hair-care terminology.
The plural is used for separate instances of permission and for permanent waves or treatments.
"The students needed their parents' perms before the trip."
One word can mean both permission and a hairstyle that resists being brushed straight.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does perm come from?
The word is a shortened form of permission, itself derived through Old French from Latin permissio, meaning an allowing or granting. Related English words include permissible and permissive, all based on the Latin root permittere, meaning to allow. The hair-care meaning is a separate shortening of permanent wave, with the idea of a lasting curl supplied by permanent.
Related word forms
How perm is actually used
The sense meaning permission is informal and is especially common in British and American speech. The hair-care sense is standard in salons and is usually countable. As a verb, perm is informal when it means to grant permission, but is standard when referring to a permanent wave.
Easily confused with perm
A perm is a specific type of hairstyle or hair treatment, whereas permanent is an adjective describing something that lasts or cannot be changed.