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Where does the word "perish" come from? It comes from Latin perire, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
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Where does the word "perish" come from? It comes from Latin perire, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Perish’s story begins in Latin: perire meant “to pass away.” 'per-', through, plus 'ire', to go. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as perir. Its stem 'periss-' gave the English form. It reached English by 1200s as perish. 'perishable' food dates from the 1600s. Today, perish means to die; to rot.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient perire "to pass away", 'per-', through, plus 'ire', to go.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval perir "to perish", its stem 'periss-' gave the English form.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s perish "to die", 'perishable' food dates from the 1600s.