squash

squash

squash¹ [skwôsh, skwäsh]

vt.

[OFr esquasser < VL * exquassare < L ex-, intens. + quassus: see QUASH²]

1.

a) to squeeze or crush into a soft or flat mass

b) to press or squeeze tightly or too tightly

2. to suppress or bring to an abrupt end; quash [to squash a rebellion]

3. Informal to silence or disconcert (another) in a crushing manner

vi.

1. to be squashed, as by a heavy fall, pressure, etc.

2. to make a sound of squashing or splashing

3. to force one's way; crowd; squeeze

n.

1. something squashed; crushed mass

2. a squashing or being squashed

3. the sound of squashing

4. either of two similar games combining elements of both tennis and handball; specif.,

a) one played in a four-walled court with a small, long-handled racket and a small rubber ball: in full squash racquets

b) one played in a similar court, but with a larger racket and a larger, livelier ball: in full squash tennis

5. Brit. a drink made of sweetened fruit juice or fruit-flavored syrup diluted with water [lemon squash]

adv.

1. so as to squash

2. with a squashing sound

☆ squash² [skwôsh, skwäsh ]

n.

[shortened < isquoutersquashes, squontersquashes, pl. < S New England Algonquian: cf. Narragansett askútasquash, pl.]

1. the fleshy fruit of any of various plants (genus Cucurbita) of the gourd family, eaten as a vegetable

2. a plant, usually a vine, bearing this fruit