Both Uses of
perish
in
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- I must have perished with cold, but that, the coldest nights, I used to steal a bag which was used for carrying corn to the mill.†
Chpt 5 *
- A great many times have we poor creatures been nearly perishing with hunger, when food in abundance lay mouldering in the safe and smoke-house, and our pious mistress was aware of the fact; and yet that mistress and her husband would kneel every morning, and pray that God would bless them in basket and store!†
Chpt 9
Definition:
-
(perish) to die -- especially in an unnatural way
or:
to be destroyed or cease to existeditor's notes: 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.