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quash

Etymology and origin of the English word quash

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kwɒʃ/ (UK); /kwɑʃ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

Two Middle English verbs have merged in this word.[2][3][4][5] Quash “to annul” comes from Middle English quassen,[2][3][5] from Old French quasser (“to annul”),[2][3][4][5] from Medieval Latin quassare, an alteration of Late Latin cassare,[2][3][4][5][6] from Latin cassus (“empty, void”).[2][3][4][5][6] Quash “to crush” comes from Middle English quashen,[2][5][3] from Old French quasser “to break”,[2][3][4][5] from Latin quasso (“to shake violently, shatter”),[2][3][4][5][6] a frequentative of quatere “to shake”.[3][4][5][6] It is related to squash and concussion.[2][6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

To suppress or overcome (about 1250, as cuvessen);[3][4] to annul (before 1338);[3] and to break or crush (before 1387).[3][7]

Semantic evolution

In Medieval Latin quassare was often used for cassare, and in French both became casser;[4] in English the two words are now largely fused.[4][3] The sense to annul is chiefly legal, as of an indictment or writ.[2][5][7] The sense to put down summarily, as a rebellion, is from about 1600,[4] while the literal sense to smash is obsolete.[7]

Timeline

  • about 1250 – to suppress or overcome.[3][4]
  • before 1338 – to annul.[3]
  • before 1387 – to break, crush.[3][7]
  • 1609 – to put down or suppress completely.[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To put down or suppress forcibly and completely, as a rebellion.
  2. To set aside or annul, especially by judicial action.

Word family

  • unquashed
  • cask
  • casket
  • concussion
  • discuss
  • discussion
  • fracas
  • percussion
  • rescue
  • squash
  • cassation

Usage notes

Random House lists crush, squash, quench and repress as synonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Quash.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/quash. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·