dash English · revision 13444

− Middle English dasshen is of uncertain origin,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) probably imitative, formed like [[clash]], [[bash]] and [[smash]] from the sound of a blow or a sudden movement,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) and perhaps from a Scandinavian source: compare Swedish daska, Danish daske, to beat, strike,^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(Barnhart 1988) though no older Scandinavian forms are recorded.^(Hoad 1986)