Perdition refers to eternal damnation or hell. The word comes from the Latin "perdere," meaning "to destroy," originally indicating "utter destruction."
La perdizione si riferisce alla dannazione eterna o all'inferno. La parola deriva dal latino "perdere", che significa "distruggere", indicando originariamente "distruzione completa".
| Word | perdition |
|---|---|
| Date | December 11, 2011 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | per-DISH-un |
| Etymology | "Perdition" began life as a word meaning "utter destruction"; that sense is now archaic, but it provides a clue about the origins of the word. "Perdition" was borrowed into English in the 14th century from Anglo-French "perdiciun" and ultimately derives from the Latin verb "perdere," meaning "to destroy." "Perdere" was formed by combining the prefix "per-" ("through") and "dare" ("to give"). Other descendants of that Latin "dare" in English include "date," "edition," "render," and "traitor." |
| Examples | "The urbane activity with which a man receives money is really marvellous, considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills, and that on no account can a monied man enter heaven. Ah! how cheerfully we consign ourselves to perdition!" -- From Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby Dick "So among my earliest poems were those about a sin-eater -- a functionary at funerals from a former time who, for his daily bread and a small fee, took unto himself the sins of the dead, and then, like the goat of the ancient Jews, escaped to the wilderness laden with the burdens of perdition." -- From an article by Thomas Lynch in Commonweal, August 12, 2011 |
| Definition | 1 : eternal damnation 2 : hell |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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