Word of the Day: Perish

perish

per-ish / pĕr-ĭsh

verb

1. to die or be destroyed, often in an untimely or violent way

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. 

Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929 – 1968

2. to disappear gradually; to cease to exist

Religion will perish because of excessive comforts.

Sicilian Proverb

3. (primarily British) to spoil; to rot; to decay

Fruit and vegetables are perishing in fields and growers fear the drought and further extreme temperatures could wipe out harvests.

Nada Farhoud, “UK heatwave caused fruit and vegetables to perish in fields as farmers fear for harvests”, ‘Mirror’, www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-heatwave-caused-fruit-vegetables-27640665, August 2, 2022

4. to destroy or ruin

Many foul blights

Perish’d his hard won gains.

From “The Mary (a Sea-side Sketch)” by Thomas Hood, 1799 – 1845