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There are two quash verbs in the English language, and although their meanings are similar, they have entirely different origins. Both essentially mean to get rid of something—you can quash a rumor, for example, or you can quash a judicial order. The legal term quash (meaning "to nullify") comes from the Anglo-French words casser or quasser, meaning "to annul," and is ultimately from Latin cassus, "to void." The other quash means "to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely." It derives from the Middle English word quashen, meaning "to smash," and is ultimately from a form of the Latin verb quatere, meaning "to shake."
Examples of quash in a Sentence
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Mar. 2025
Kemp quashed the rebellion after his allies in the Legislature argued that Pathways needed more time to prove itself.
—Margaret Coker, ProPublica, 19 Feb. 2025
While New Zealand has previously quashed the Cook Islands’ aspirations of joining the United Nations without becoming independent, Monday’s action plan says China will back its hopes to widen membership of global bodies.
—Reuters, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2025
The motion also would have quashed the grand jury selected to investigate the Jan. 16 Democratic primary runoff for the 21st District senatorial seat.
—The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quash
Cite this Entry
“Quash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quash. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quash
2 of 2 verbVerb
Middle English quashen "to smash," from early French quasser, casser (same meaning), from Latin quassare "to shake violently, shatter," from quatere "to shake"
Verb
Middle English quashen "to nullify," from early French casser, quasser "to annul," from Latin cassare (same meaning), from earlier Latin cassus "void"
Legal Definition
quash
transitive verbTransitive verb
Anglo-French quasser, from Middle French casser, quasser, from Late Latin cassare, from Latin cassus void
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