Dictionary

quash en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /kwɔʃ/ (US, dialectal)
• /kwɒʃ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /kwɑʃ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English quaschen, quasshen, cwessen, quassen, from Old French quasser, from Latin quassāre, under the influence of cassō (“to annul”), from Latin quatiō (“to shake”) Cognate with Dutch kwetsen (“to hurt, injure”), German quetschen (“to crush, squash”), Spanish quejar (“to complain”).

Meanings

1. To defeat decisively, to suppress.
   • In an early scene with her father, Alma is shown rebelling against the staid, petty and occasionally vicious life of Glorious Hill, Mississippi; her father quashes her cruelly, but it is established that Alma has it in her to defy convention. 1976 December 25, Robert Chesley, “New York's "Nightingale" Does No Justice to Williams' Play”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 26, page 16:
   • Anne that she had been perfectly right in her proceedings, since, by quashing all idle hopes, both parties would see the necessity of conquering their foolish passion. 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXI, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 269:
   • Contrition is apt to quash or allay all worldly grief. a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number)”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:
   • The army quashed the rebellion.
2. (obsolete) To crush or dash to pieces.
   • The whales / Against sharp rocks, like reeling vessels, quashed, / Though huge as mountains, are in pieces dashed. 1645, Edmund Waller, The Battle Of The Summer Islands:
3. To void or suppress (a subpoena, decision, etc.).
   • In the case of an appeal against conviction the Court shall, if they allow the appeal, quash the conviction. 1968, Parliament of the United Kingdom, “Section 2(2)”, in Criminal Appeal Act 1968^(Criminal Appeal Act 1968), page 2:

Forms

Deriveds

quashable · unquashed · toquash · quasher

Relateds

cask · casket · concussion · discuss · discussion · squash · percussion · rescue · fracas

Translations (37)

es anular (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · nl onderdrukken (to defeat forcibly) · it cassare (to defeat forcibly) · pl unieważniać (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · ru отменять (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · es aplastar (to defeat forcibly) · cs zrušit (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · pt anular (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · ca cassar (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · fi kukistaa (to defeat forcibly) · ru сокруша́ть (to defeat forcibly) · bg потушавам (to defeat forcibly) · it cassare (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · pl tłumić (to defeat forcibly) · it annullare (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · it soffocare (to defeat forcibly) · cs anulovat (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · ro zdrobi (to defeat forcibly) · nl smoren (to defeat forcibly) · pt cassar (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · fr supprimer (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · cs potlačit (to defeat forcibly) · fr annuler (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · nl ongeldig verklaren (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · ka ანულირება (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · es derrotar (to defeat forcibly) · it reprimere (to defeat forcibly) · it cancellare (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · ka განადგურება (to defeat forcibly) · fi tukahduttaa (to defeat forcibly) · it invalidare (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · fi kumota (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · ro suprima (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · bg отменям (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · nl vernietigen (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision)) · ka ჩახშობა (to defeat forcibly) · ka გაუქმება (to void or suppress (a subpoena, decision))