All 3 Uses of
perish
in
Howards End
- Helen says it alone endures while men and houses perish, and that in the end the world will be a desert of chairs and sofas—just imagine it!†
Part 18 *perish = die, be destroyed, or cease to exist
- Houses have their own ways of dying, falling as variously as the generations of men, some with a tragic roar, some quietly, but to an after-life in the city of ghosts, while from others—and thus was the death of Wickham Place—the spirit slips before the body perishes.†
Part 31perishes = dies or is destroyed
- I cannot believe that knowledge such as hers will perish with knowledge such as mine.†
Part 40perish = die, be destroyed, or cease to exist
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.