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abash

[ uh-bash ]
/ əˈbæʃ /
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See synonyms for: abash / abashed / abashment on Thesaurus.com

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, noun

Words nearby abash

Abariringa Island, à bas, abase, abased, abasement, abash, abashed, abasia, abate, abated, abatement
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to abash

disconcert, rattle

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, noun

Word 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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