Meanings
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1
verb
to die or be destroyed, especially suddenly or in harsh conditions
Many plants perish in a hard frost.
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2
verb
to decay or be ruined so that something can no longer be used
Fresh food can perish quickly in heat.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
Word family
Forms
perishedperishesperishethperishing
Derived forms
nonperishingperishabilityperisherperishinglyperishlessunperishedunperishing
Related forms
perishable
Etymology
From Middle English perishen, borrowed from Old French perir (via the stem periss- used in various conjugations), from Latin perīre (“pass away, perish”), from per (“through”) + īre (“pass, go”).
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