quench

[ kwench ]
/ kwɛntʃ /

verb (used with object)

to slake, satisfy, or allay (thirst, desires, passion, etc.).
to put out or extinguish (fire, flames, etc.).
to cool suddenly by plunging into a liquid, as in tempering steel by immersion in water.
to subdue or destroy; overcome; quell: to quench an uprising.
Electronics. to terminate (the flow of electrons in a vacuum tube) by application of a voltage.

Origin of quench

1150–1200; Middle English quenchen, earlier cwenken; compare Old English -cwencan in ācwencan to quench (cf. a-3)

OTHER WORDS FROM quench

Example sentences from the Web for quenching

British Dictionary definitions for quenching

quench
/ (kwɛntʃ) /

verb (tr)

to satisfy (one's thirst, desires, etc); slake
to put out (a fire, flame, etc); extinguish
to put down or quell; suppress to quench a rebellion
to cool (hot metal) by plunging it into cold water
physics to reduce the degree of (luminescence or phosphorescence) in (excited molecules or a material) by adding a suitable substance
electronics
  1. to suppress (sparking) when the current is cut off in an inductive circuit
  2. to suppress (an oscillation or discharge) in a component or device

Derived forms of quench

quenchable, adjective quencher, noun quenchless, adjective

Word Origin for quench

Old English ācwencan to extinguish; related to Old Frisian quinka to vanish

Medical definitions for quenching

quenching
[ kwĕnchĭng ]

n.

The process of extinguishing, removing, or diminishing a physical property such as heat or light.
The shifting of the energy spectrum from a true to a lower energy that occurs in liquid scintillation counting of beta emissions; caused by interfering materials in the counting solution, including foreign chemicals.