definition of the word abash

From Old English abaissen, abaisshen, and abashen, from Old French esbahir, formed from es + bair (“‘to astonish’”).

• Known cognates: French ébahir (“‘to astonish’”)

• (RP)
  • IPA: /əˈbæʃ/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

• Rhymes: -æʃ

to abash (third-person singular simple present abashes, present participle abashing, simple past and past participle abashed)

1. (transitive) To make ashamed; to embarrass; to destroy the self-possession of; to confuse or confound, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, mistake, or inferiority; to put to shame; to disconcert; to discomfit.

   "He was a man whom no check could abash." - Macaulay.

2. (intransitive) (obsolete) To lose self-possession; to become ashamed.

• confuse
• confound
• disconcert
• shame
• humiliate
• embarrass

• Of abash, confuse, confound: Abash is a stronger word than confuse, but not so strong as confound.
  • We are abashed when struck either with sudden shame or with a humbling sense of inferiority; as, Peter was abashed by the look of his Master. So a modest youth is abashed in the presence of those who are greatly his superiors.
  • We are confused when, from some unexpected or startling occurrence, we lose clearness of thought and self-possession. Thus, a witness is often confused by a severe cross-examination; a timid person is apt to be confused in entering a room full of strangers.
  • We are confounded when our minds are overwhelmed, as it were, by something wholly unexpected, amazing, dreadful, etc., so that we have nothing to say. Thus, a criminal is usually confounded at the discovery of his guilt.

  • Satan stood Awhile as mute, confounded what to say. - John Milton

• abashed
• abashedly
• abashedness
• abashless
• abashment

Definition from Wiktionary Content avaible with GNU Free Documentation License

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