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Abash - 4 dictionary results
a⋅bash
[uh-bash] 
–verb (used with object)
| to destroy the self-confidence, poise, or self-possession of; disconcert; make ashamed or embarrassed: to abash someone by sneering. |
Origin:
1275–1325; ME abaishen < dial. OF abacher, OF abaissier to put down, bring low (see abase ), perh. conflated with AF abaiss-, long s. of abair, OF esba(h)ir to gape, marvel, amaze (es- ex- 1 + -ba(h)ir, alter. of baer to open wide, gape < VL *batāre; cf. bay 2 , bay 3 )
1275–1325; ME abaishen < dial. OF abacher, OF abaissier to put down, bring low (see abase ), perh. conflated with AF abaiss-, long s. of abair, OF esba(h)ir to gape, marvel, amaze (es- ex- 1 + -ba(h)ir, alter. of baer to open wide, gape < VL *batāre; cf. bay 2 , bay 3 )
Related forms:
a⋅bash⋅ment, noun
Synonyms:
shame, discompose, embarrass.
shame, discompose, embarrass.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To Abash
| a·bash (ə-bāsh') tr.v. a·bashed, a·bash·ing, a·bash·es To make ashamed or uneasy; disconcert. See Synonyms at embarrass. [Middle English abaishen, to lose one's composure, from Old French esbahir, esbahiss- : es-, intensive pref. (from Latin ex-; see ex-) + baer, to gape; see bay2.] a·bash'ment n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Abash
A*bash"\ ([.a]*b[a^]sh"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abashed ([.a]*b[a^]sht"); p. pr. & vb. n. Abashing.] [OE. abaissen, abaisshen, abashen, OF. esbahir, F. ['e]bahir, to astonish, fr. L. ex + the interjection bah, expressing astonishment. In OE. somewhat confused with abase. Cf. Finish.] To destroy the self-possession of; to confuse or confound, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, mistake, or inferiority; to put to shame; to disconcert; to discomfit. Abashed, the devil stood, And felt how awful goodness is. --Milton. He was a man whom no check could abash. --Macaulay. Syn: To confuse; confound; disconcert; shame. Usage: To Abash, Confuse, Confound. Abash is a stronger word than confuse, but not so strong as confound. We are abashed when struck either with sudden shame or with a humbling sense of inferiority; as, Peter was abashed by the look of his Master. So a modest youth is abashed in the presence of those who are greatly his superiors. We are confused when, from some unexpected or startling occurrence, we lose clearness of thought and self-possession. Thus, a witness is often confused by a severe cross-examination; a timid person is apt to be confused in entering a room full of strangers. We are confounded when our minds are overwhelmed, as it were, by something wholly unexpected, amazing, dreadful, etc., so that we have nothing to say. Thus, a criminal is usually confounded at the discovery of his guilt. Satan stood Awhile as mute, confounded what to say. --Milton.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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abash
c.1303, from O.Fr. esbaiss-, stem of esbaer "gape with astonishment," from es "out" + ba(y)er "to be open, gape," from L. *batare "to yawn, gape," from root *bat, possibly imitative of yawning. Bashful is 16c. derivative.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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