abash
[ uh-bash ]
/ əˈbæʃ /
verb (used with object)
to destroy the self-confidence, poise, or self-possession of; disconcert; make ashamed or embarrassed: to abash someone by sneering.
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Origin of abash
1275–1325; Middle English abaishen < dialectal Old French abacher, Old French abaissier to put down, bring low (see abase), perhaps conflated with Anglo-French abaiss-, long stem of abair, Old French esba(h)ir to gape, marvel, amaze (es- ex-1 + -ba(h)ir, alteration of baer to open wide, gape < Vulgar Latin *batāre; cf. bay2, bay3)
OTHER WORDS FROM abash
a·bash·ment, nounWords nearby abash
abapical, abaptiston, abarognosis, abase, abased, abash, abashed, abasia, abasia trepidans, abasia-astasia, abat-jour
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for abash
British Dictionary definitions for abash
abash
/ (əˈbæʃ) /
verb
(tr; usually passive) to cause to feel ill at ease, embarrassed, or confused; make ashamed
Derived forms of abash
abashment, nounWord Origin for abash
C14: via Norman French from Old French esbair to be astonished, from es- out + bair to gape, yawn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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