Perdition began life as a word meaning "utter destruction"; that sense is now archaic, but it provides a clue about the origins of the word. "Perdition" was borrowed into English in the 14th century from Anglo-French perdiciun and ultimately derives from the Latin verb perdere, meaning "to destroy." "Perdere" was formed by combining the prefix per- ("through") and "dare" ("to give"). Other descendants of that Latin dare in English include "date," "edition," "render," and "traitor."
sinners condemned to eternal perdition simple stupidity is not enough to doom one to perdition
Recent Examples on the WebAnd not the fire and brimstone Old Testament perdition. Damon Young, Washington Post, 6 June 2022 Jeff, Bobby’s lone sibling, had to force his way through the perdition of survivor’s guilt. Jennifer Senior, The Atlantic, 9 Aug. 2021 Morels even more blatantly favor drama, thriving on tree death, soil disturbance, fire and perdition. Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 13 Feb. 2020 But simply waiting for their arrival puts us on the road to perdition. Marin Gjaja, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2020 Robinson’s fiction investigates, again and again, the connection between loneliness and perdition, between the soul’s isolation and its torment. Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2020 Hence, the nation to them is not all holy, a thing inviolate and inviolable, a thing that a man dare not sell or dishonour on pain of eternal perdition. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 7 Sep. 2020 Like these earlier explorers of perdition, Peterson found wisdom through his harrowing trek. Jeet Heer, The New Republic, 21 May 2018 As the symbolism abounds on this dusty road to perdition, the excesses of the piece invite the actors to indulgent performances. Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com, 31 July 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English perdicion, from Anglo-French perdiciun, Late Latin perdition-, perditio, from Latin perdere to destroy, from per- through + dare to give — more at per-, date