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quench
- Main Entry:
- quench
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈkwench\
- Function:
- verb
- Etymology:
- Middle English, from Old English -cwencan; akin to Old English -cwincan to vanish, OldFrisian quinka
- Date:
- 12th century
transitive verb1 a: put out, extinguish b: to put out the light or fire of <quench glowing coals with water> c: to cool (as heated metal) suddenly by immersion (as in oil or water) d: to cause to lose heat or warmth <you have quenched the warmth of France toward you — Alfred Tennyson>2 a: to bring (something immaterial) to an end typically by satisfying, damping, cooling, or decreasing <a rational understanding of the laws of nature can quench impossible desires — Lucius Garvin> <the praise that quenches all desire to read the book — T. S. Eliot> b: to terminate by or as if by destroying : eliminate <the Commonwealth party quenched a whole generation of play-acting — Margery Bailey> <quench a rebellion> c: to relieve or satisfy with liquid <quenched his thirst at a wayside spring>intransitive verb1: to become extinguished : cool2: to become calm : subside
— quench·able \ˈkwen-chə-bəl\ adjective — quench·er noun
— quench·less \ˈkwench-ləs\ adjective
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