Where does “perish the thought” come from?
perish the thought (English) comes from English perish, from Middle English perishen, from Old French perir, from Latin pereō, from Latin eō, from Proto-Italic eō, from Proto-Italic ejō, from Proto-Indo-European h₁éyti — to go.
perish the thought (English): May the thought perish; said of an idea or suggestion that is deeply undesirable
Definitions
- May the thought perish; said of an idea or suggestion that is deeply undesirable
Ancestry of “perish the thought”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | perish | To decay and disappear; to waste away to nothing;... |
| 2 | Middle English | perishen | — |
| 3 | Old French | perir | to die; to perish |
| 4 | Latin | pereō | to perish, pass away, die, be ruined |
| 5 | Latin | eō | to go, to fare, to move (oneself) (any kind of animate or inanimate motion: walk, ride, sail, fly, etc.) |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | eō | I go |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | ejō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁éyti | to go, to be going |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ey- | to go |