Origin: Latin suffix -ory
Perfunctory has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
"a casual (or cursory) inspection failed to reveal the house's structural flaws"
"a passing glance"
"perfunctory courtesy"
"In his paper, he showed a very superficial understanding of psychoanalytic theory"
Done only or merely to conform to a minimal standard or to fulfill a protocol or presumptive duty .
The word comes from Late Latin perfunctōrius, meaning "careless" or "negligent." It is derived from the verb perfungor, which means to perform or carry something through.