deperish

English

Etymology

From Middle English deperishen, from Old French deperiss-, extended stem of deperir, from Latin deperīre (“to die down, to perish gradually”), present active infinitive of depereō.

Verb

deperish (third-person singular simple present deperishes, present participle deperishing, simple past and past participle deperished)

1. (intransitive, rare) To waste away; to deteriorate.
   • 1978, Patrick O'Brian, “Chapter Six”, in "Desolation Island"‎^[1], page 148:

     We shall pull him through this awkward pass; but sometimes I fear that we shall do so only to see him deperish from mere inanition and want of nourishment ...

   • 2014, Aleph Alpha, "Words of Tomorrow":

     One can assume that, the world takes care of its own. But, the being that chooses to renounce the needs of the self for the benefit of the whole should reap much fruit. It will likely not break down as it is supple. It will likely not deperish as fast as that which creates exaggerated friction within the whole. It will likely develop more gracefully, having allowed the world to develop freely within itself.

Anagrams

• Hesperid, perished, shred pie