Synonyms
perish - 7 dictionary results
per⋅ish
[per-ish]
–verb (used without object)
—Idiom
| 1. | to die or be destroyed through violence, privation, etc.: to perish in an earthquake. |
| 2. | to pass away or disappear: an age of elegance that has forever perished. |
| 3. | to suffer destruction or ruin: His valuable paintings perished in the fire. |
| 4. | to suffer spiritual death: Save us, lest we perish. |
| 5. | perish the thought, may it never happen: used facetiously or as an afterthought of foreboding. |
Origin:
1200–50; ME perissen < OF periss-, long s. of perir < L perīre to perish, lit., go through, spend fully, equiv. to per- per- + īre to go
1200–50; ME perissen < OF periss-, long s. of perir < L perīre to perish, lit., go through, spend fully, equiv. to per- per- + īre to go

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : perish
| Spanish: | perecer, fallecer, | German: | umkommen, | Japanese: | 死ぬ |
| per·ish
(pěr'ĭsh) Pronunciation Key
v. per·ished, per·ish·ing, per·ish·es v. intr.
To bring to destruction; destroy: "Many foul blights/Perish'd his hard won gains" (Thomas Hood). [Middle English perishen, from Old French perir, periss-, to perish, from Latin perīre : per-, per- + īre, to go; see ei- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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perish
c.1250, from periss- prp. stem of O.Fr. perir, from L. perire "to be lost, perish," lit. "to go through," from per- "through, completely, to destruction" + ire "to go." Perishables in ref. to foodstuffs is attested from 1895.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Perish
Per"ish\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Perished; p. pr. & vb. n. Perishing.] [OE. perissen, perisshen, F. p['e]rir, p. pr. p['e]rissant, L. perire to go or run through, come to nothing, perish; per through + ire to go. Cf. Issue, and see -ish.] To be destroyed; to pass away; to become nothing; to be lost; to die; hence, to wither; to waste away. I perish with hunger! --Luke xv. 17. Grow up and perish, as the summer fly. --Milton. The thoughts of a soul that perish in thinking. --Locke.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Perish
Per"ish\, v. t. To cause perish. [Obs.] --Bacon.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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