perdition

noun

per·di·tion pər-ˈdi-shən

Synonyms of perdition next

: eternal damnation

: hell

archaic : utter destruction

obsolete : loss

Did you know?

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 of perdition in a Sentence

sinners condemned to eternal perdition simple stupidity is not enough to doom one to perdition

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Or did Christ die only for us, leaving any other creatures to a kind of limbo or perdition? —

Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2024 Although Adolf Hitler met his road to perdition, Joseph Stalin survived and extended his despotism. —

Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2024 Get Citation Request Reprint Permissions Download Article Of all the threats looming over the planet today, one of the most alarming is the seemingly inexorable descent of the world’s oceans into ecological perdition. —

Alan B. Sielen, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2013 But the barrier between life and death is no less permeable than those between childhood and adulthood, or dreams and reality, or a world of perdition and a hidden paradise. —

Maya Phillips, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for perdition

Word History

Etymology

Middle English perdicion, from Anglo-French perdiciun, Late Latin perdition-, perditio, from Latin perdere to destroy, from per- through + dare to give — more at per-, date

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler

The first known use of perdition was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century