I. ˈperish, -rēsh, esp in pres part -rəsh verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English perissen, perisshen, from Old French periss-, stem of perir, from Latin perire to pass away, be destroyed, perish, from per- detrimentally, destructively + ire to go — more at per- , issue
intransitive verb
1. : to become destroyed or ruined : come to an especially violent or untimely end : pass away completely (as by disintegration) : die
perished by the tomahawk — American Guide Series: New Hampshire
many elephants were known to have perished of their wounds — Stuart Cloete
their skeletons have perished — Ruth Benedict
recollection of a past already long since perished — Philip Sherrard
that the great human energy which manifests itself in free thought will not perish — M.R.Cohen
— formerly often used in imprecations but now so used chiefly with thought
guard against your mistakes or your attempts ( perish the thought) to cheat — C.B.Davis
2. : to suffer spiritual or moral death : become spiritually lost
perish in one's sins
nations perishing for want of religious teachers
3. chiefly dialect : to deteriorate or decay to the point of being unserviceable or useless : spoil
window frames … cannot be left bare of paint indefinitely without the woodwork perishing — Country Life
belts should then be carefully examined for any signs of perishing — Fire Service Drill Book
transitive verb
1. chiefly dialect : to cause to die, be lost, spoiled, hurt, or ruined : destroy
the boots I get nowadays wholly perish my feet — Adrian Bell
this process has a tendency to perish the straw — Beryl Fegan
2. chiefly Scotland : to cause to vanish : squander , waste
II. noun
( -es )
Australia : a state of privation in the bush
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- do a perish