Perishable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Liable to decay, rot, or spoil quickly when exposed to time, air, or warmth, particularly in reference to food and organic matter
2. Susceptible to becoming unusable or unfit for consumption over time, especially applicable to food items and organic products
3. Subject to a limited lifespan and prone to deterioration, particularly in relation to food or biological substances due to environmental conditions

Etymology: "Perishable" is a straightforward formation: "perish" plus the suffix "-able," meaning capable of or liable to. Its roots lie in the Latin verb "perire," to pass away or go to ruin, which English inherited through Old French, where "perissable" carried the same sense. The Middle English form "persishable" and its variant "perysabyl" appeared before the modern spelling settled. The suffix does most of the work here. Attaching "-able" to a verb produces an adjective meaning that something can be acted upon in that way, so a perishable thing is one that can be destroyed or spoiled. The sense narrowed over time from ruin in general to the specific spoiling of food and other organic goods, which is the meaning it carries today.

Synonyms: spoilable, decaying, transient, ephemeral, temporary

Antonyms: durable, permanent, stable