Both Uses of
perish
in
The Scarlet Letter
- It impressed me as if the ancient Surveyor, in his garb of a hundred years gone by, and wearing his immortal wig—which was buried with him, but did not perish in the grave—had met me in the deserted chamber of the Custom-House.†
p. 32.8 *perish = die, be destroyed, or cease to exist
- Do not blacken your fame, and perish in dishonour!†
p. 235.5
Definition:
to die -- especially in an unnatural way
or:
to be destroyed or cease to exist
or:
to be destroyed or cease to exist
You may encounter an informal expression, "Perish the thought." It means that the speaker hopes the thought will cease to exist and the thing it represents will never happen.