Perdition

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pɜː(ɹ)ˈdɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. A state of eternal damnation or complete ruin and destruction
2. A condition of everlasting suffering and loss, often linked to spiritual punishment or total devastation
3. An unending state of condemnation or profound downfall that involves irreversible harm or destruction

Etymology: Perdition comes from Latin "perditio," a noun built on "perdo," meaning "to destroy" or "to lose." The Latin root is a compound of "per-" (thoroughly, completely) and "do" (to give), so the sense is literally giving something wholly away, letting it go past recovery. That is why the word's core idea is ruin beyond repair rather than simple loss. The word reached English through Old French "perdiciun" and entered Middle English as "perdicioun." Its most familiar modern sense, eternal damnation, grew out of its general meaning of destruction. Religious writers applied it to the soul's final ruin, and that theological sense became the one most people now recognise, especially in the phrase "ways of perdition."

Synonyms: damnation, destruction, ruin, loss, waste

Antonyms: salvation, redemption, rescue, safety, preservation