verb (used with object)
1.
to slake, satisfy, or allay (thirst, desires, passion, etc.).
2.
to put out or extinguish (fire, flames, etc.).
3.
to cool suddenly by plunging into a liquid, as in tempering steel by immersion in water.
4.
to subdue or destroy; overcome; quell: to quench an uprising.
5.
Electronics. to terminate (the flow of electrons in a vacuum tube) by application of a voltage.
Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English quenchen, earlier cwenken; compare Old English -cwencan in ācwencan to quench (cf. a-3)
1150–1200; Middle English quenchen, earlier cwenken; compare Old English -cwencan in ācwencan to quench (cf. a-3)
Related forms
quench·a·ble, adjective
quench·a·ble·ness, noun
quench·er, noun
un·quench·a·ble, adjective
un·quenched, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To quenchable
00:10
Quenchable
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
quench (kwɛntʃ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to satisfy (one's thirst, desires, etc); slake |
| 2. | to put out (a fire, flame, etc); extinguish |
| 3. | to put down or quell; suppress: to quench a rebellion |
| 4. | to cool (hot metal) by plunging it into cold water |
| 5. | physics to reduce the degree of (luminescence or phosphorescence) in (excited molecules or a material) by adding a suitable substance |
| 6. | electronics |
| a. to suppress (sparking) when the current is cut off in an inductive circuit | |
| b. to suppress (an oscillation or discharge) in a component or device | |
| [Old English ācwencan to extinguish; related to Old Frisian quinka to vanish] | |
| 'quenchable | |
| —adj | |
| 'quencher | |
| —n | |
| 'quenchless | |
| —adj | |
| quench (kwɛntʃ) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to satisfy (one's thirst, desires, etc); slake |
| 2. | to put out (a fire, flame, etc); extinguish |
| 3. | to put down or quell; suppress: to quench a rebellion |
| 4. | to cool (hot metal) by plunging it into cold water |
| 5. | physics to reduce the degree of (luminescence or phosphorescence) in (excited molecules or a material) by adding a suitable substance |
| 6. | electronics |
| a. to suppress (sparking) when the current is cut off in an inductive circuit | |
| b. to suppress (an oscillation or discharge) in a component or device | |
| [Old English ācwencan to extinguish; related to Old Frisian quinka to vanish] | |
| 'quenchable | |
| —adj | |
| 'quencher | |
| —n | |
| 'quenchless | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
quench
O.E. acwencan "to quench" (of fire, light), from P.Gmc. *cwandjan, probably a causative form of root of O.E. cwincan "to go out, be extinguished," O.Fris. kwinka.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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