English

Adjective

perishing ‎(comparative more perishing, superlative most perishing)

1. Extremely cold.
   • 2002 February 23, The Guardian,, “Andy Wilson at Headingly”, in The Guardian:

     Leeds avoided a potential banana skin on a perishing night to claim the first place in the last eight of the Kellogg's Challenge Cup with a high-class performance by their new Australian stand-off Ben Walker

2. Extreme; used of environmental or bodily conditions.
   • 1946, Frank W. C. Rieck, Life as I See It (page 308)

     If many more white men knew of this method of obtaining and extracting water, there would be, perhaps, many saved from the horrors of perishing thirst.

   • 2011, Mary Groves, An Outback Life (page 102)

     A boulder ground into Joe's thigh and he yelled for what seemed an eternity in the perishing heat but, apart from a few bird calls, the horse's laboured breath was the only sound he heard.

Verb

perishing

1. present participle of perish