I. ˈkwench verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English quenchen, from (assumed) Old English cwencan (as in ācwencan to quench, extinguish), causative from the root of (assumed) cwincan to become extinguished (as in ācwincan to vanish, be extinguished); akin to Old Frisian quinka to vanish
transitive verb
1.
a. : to put out (as a fire or light)
for three days after … the fire may not be quenched — J.G.Frazer
the signal among the palms was quenched — William Beebe
b. : to put out the fire or light of (a source of heat or light)
quench a fireplace
quench a lamp
2. : subdue , overcome
quench hatred
3. : destroy
quench a rebellion
the praise that quenches all desire to read the book — T.S.Eliot
whose eagerness for culture was not quenched by the toil of bringing up a family — C.A.Dinsmore
4. : slake , satisfy
quench a thirst
5. : to cool (as heated steel) suddenly by immersion especially in water or oil
crushed ore melted and quenched in cold water — C.L.Mantell
6.
a. : suppress , inhibit
quench luminescence
quench a portion of a spectrum
b. : to arrest (as the discharge of an ion counter or the oscillation of an amplifier tube) by applying voltage
intransitive verb
1. : to become extinguished : cool
the fire quenches
2. : to become calm : subside
the bustle and the talking quenched — W.B.Ready
Synonyms: see crush
II. noun
( -es )
: the act of quenching or state of being quenched
the sudden quench of the white light — Saul Bellow
the tube works without quench and utilizes a gas that is 90 percent argon — Scientific Monthly