Skip to the word

Added 10 October 2026

quench

/kwɛnt͡ʃ/ verb

In Latin: extinguō, exstinguō, restinguō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about quench at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To satisfy, especially a literal or figurative thirst.
The library quenched her thirst for knowledge.
To extinguish or put out (as a fire or light).
To cool rapidly by direct contact with liquid coolant, as a blacksmith quenching hot iron.
The swordsmith quenched the sword in an oil bath so that it wouldn't shatter.

noun

The act of quenching something; the fact of being quenched.
The abnormal termination of operation of a superconducting magnet, occurring when part of the superconducting coil enters the normal (resistive) state.
A rapid change of the parameters of a physical system.

Origin

From Middle English quenchen, from Old English cwenċan, from Proto-Germanic *kwankijaną.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word