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.
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 | — |
| 5 | Latin | eō | — |
| 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 |