The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Perish \Per"ish\, v. t.
   To cause perish. [Obs.] --Bacon.
   [1913 Webster]

   perish the thought I hope it will never happen; -- a phrase
      used after mention of a possible undesirable event,
      sometimes facetiously.
      [PJC]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Perish \Per"ish\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Perished; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Perishing.] [OE. perissen, perisshen, F. p['e]rir, p.
   pr. p['e]rissant, L. perire to go or run through, come to
   nothing, perish; per through + ire to go. Cf. Issue, and
   see -ish.]
   To be destroyed; to pass away; to become nothing; to be lost;
   to die; hence, to wither; to waste away.
   [1913 Webster]

         I perish with hunger!                    --Luke xv. 17.
   [1913 Webster]

         Grow up and perish, as the summer fly.   --Milton.
   [1913 Webster]

         The thoughts of a soul that perish in thinking.
                                                  --Locke.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

perish
    v 1: pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and
         functions necessary to sustain life; "She died from
         cancer"; "The children perished in the fire"; "The patient
         went peacefully"; "The old guy kicked the bucket at the age
         of 102" [syn: die, decease, perish, go, exit,
         pass away, expire, pass, kick the bucket, cash in
         one's chips, buy the farm, conk, give-up the ghost,
         drop dead, pop off, choke, croak, snuff it] [ant:
         be born]