'perishable' originates from the Latin word 'perire', where 'per-' meant 'through' and 'ire' meant 'to go'.

'perire' transformed into the Old French word 'perissable', and eventually became the modern English word 'perishable'.

Initially, it meant 'to pass away or perish', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'likely to decay or go bad quickly'.