perish

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
perish/ˈperɪʃ/

▶verb

• 1 literary die, especially in a violent or sudden way.

  ■ suffer complete ruin or destruction.

• 2 (of rubber, food, etc.) rot or decay.

• 3 (be perished) Brit. informal be suffering from extreme cold.

– phrases
perish the thought informal may the thought or idea prove unfounded.

– origin ME: from OFr. periss-, lengthened stem of perir, from L. perire ‘pass away’.