perishable

[ per-i-shuh-buhl ]
See synonyms for: perishableperishables on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. subject to decay, ruin, or destruction: perishable fruits and vegetables.

noun
  1. Usually perishables. something perishable, especially food.

Origin of perishable

1
First recorded in 1605–15; perish + -able

Other words from perishable

  • per·ish·a·bil·i·ty, per·ish·a·ble·ness, noun
  • per·ish·a·bly, adverb
  • un·per·ish·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use perishable in a sentence

  • The lady of the flowers had been long dead, and her spirit was still supposed to bear the brand of perishability.

    In the South Seas | Robert Louis Stevenson
  • The great lack of architectural ruins in the country today may be largely accounted for by its perishability.

British Dictionary definitions for perishable

perishable

/ (ˈpɛrɪʃəbəl) /


adjective
  1. liable to rot or wither

noun
  1. (often plural) a perishable article, esp food

Derived forms of perishable

  • perishability or perishableness, noun
  • perishably, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012