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abash
[ uh-bash ]
/ əˈbæʃ /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
Definition of abash
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
abarognosis, à bas, abase, abased, abasement, abash, abashed, abasia, abasia-astasia, abasia trepidans, abate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use abash in a sentence
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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