Word of the Day

: October 21, 2009

quash

verb KWAHSH

What It Means

: to nullify especially by judicial action

quash in Context

Thanks to a loophole in the law, the defendant's lawyers were able to persuade the judge to quash the indictment against their client.

Did You Know?

There are two "quash" verbs in English, and although their meanings are vaguely similar, they have entirely different origins. Both essentially mean to get rid of something -- you can quash a rumor, for example, or you can quash a judicial order. The legal term "quash" (defined above) comes from an Anglo-French word, "casser," meaning "to annul," and ultimately from Latin "cassus," meaning "void." The other "quash" means "to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely." It derives from the Middle English word "quashen," meaning "to smash," and ultimately from a form of the Latin verb "quatere," meaning "to shake."