squash

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

squash, n. [Cf. Musquash.].

 An American animal allied to the weasel.  Goldsmith.  [1913 Webster]

squash, n. [Massachusetts Indian asq, pl. asquash, raw, green, immature, applied to fruit and vegetables which were used when green, or without cooking; askutasquash vine apple.].

 A plant and its fruit of the genus Cucurbita, or gourd kind.  [1913 Webster]
" The species are much confused. The long-neck squash is called Cucurbita verrucosa, the Barbary or China squash, C. moschata, and the great winter squash, C. maxima, but the distinctions are not clear."  [1913 Webster]

Squash beetle (Zoöl.), a small American beetle (Diabrotica vittata, syn. Galeruca vittata) which is often abundant and very injurious to the leaves of squash, cucumber, etc. It is striped with yellow and black. The name is applied also to other allied species. -- Squash bug (Zoöl.), a large black American hemipterous insect (Coreus tristis syn. Anasa tristis) injurious to squash vines.

squash, v. t. [OE. squachen, OF. escachier, esquachier, to squash, to crush, F. écacher, perhaps from (assumed) LL. excoacticare, fr. L. ex + coactare to constrain, from cogere, coactum, to compel. Cf. Cogent, Squat, v. i.].

 To beat or press into pulp or a flat mass; to crush.  [1913 Webster]

squash, n. 

•  Something soft and easily crushed; especially, an unripe pod of pease.  [1913 Webster]

  "Not yet old enough for a man, nor young enough for a boy; as a squash is before 't is a peascod."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, something unripe or soft; -- used in contempt.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  A sudden fall of a heavy, soft body; also, a shock of soft bodies.  Arbuthnot.  [1913 Webster]

  "My fall was stopped by a terrible squash."  [1913 Webster]
•  A game much like rackets, played in a walled court with soft rubber balls and bats like tennis rackets; -- called also squash rackets.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

squash, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. crush or squeeze flat or into pulp.
2 intr. (often foll. by into) make one's way by squeezing.
3 tr. pack tight, crowd.
4 tr. a silence (a person) with a crushing retort etc. b dismiss (a proposal etc.). c quash (a rebellion).
--n.
1 a crowd; a crowded assembly.
2 a sound of or as of something being squashed, or of a soft body falling.
3 Brit. a concentrated drink made of crushed fruit etc., diluted with water.
4 (in full squash rackets) a game played with rackets and a small fairly soft ball against the walls of a closed court.
5 a squashed thing or mass.

Idiom

squash tennis US a game similar to squash, played with a lawn-tennis ball.

Derivative

squashy adj. (squashier, squashiest). squashily adv. squashiness n.

squash, n. (pl. same or squashes)
1 any of various trailing plants of the genus Cucurbita, esp. C. maxima, C. moschata, and C. pepo, having pumpkin-like fruits.
2 the fruit of these cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Etymology

obs. (i)squoutersquash f. Narraganset asquutasquash f. asq uncooked + squash green

THESAURUS

squash

abrade, annihilate, answer, answer conclusively, argue down, asphyxiate, assibilate, assibilation, atomize, bear, beat, black out, bottle up, bray, break into pieces, break to pieces, break up, brecciate, bruise, butter, buzz, cataplasm, censor, chew, choke, choke off, clamp down on, clay, comminute, confound, confute, contradict, contriturate, controvert, cork, cork up, crack down on, cram, crash, crowd, crumb, crumble, crunch, crush, cushion, cut to pieces, damp down, defeat, demolish, dental pulp, deny, diffuse, disintegrate, dismiss, disperse, dispose of, disrupt, drove, drown, dumbfound, ease, effervesce, effervescence, effervescing, extinguish, finish, fission, fizz, fizzle, fizzling, floor, flour, fluff, fragment, frication, frictional rustling, gag, gentle, grain, granulate, granulize, grate, grind, grind to powder, gumbo, hiss, hissing, hold down, horde, hugger-mugger, hush, hush up, hush-hush, hushing, jam, jump on, keep down, keep under, kill, knead, laxate, levigate, limber, limber up, lisp, loosen, macerate, make mincemeat of, mash, massage, masticate, mellow, milden, mill, mince, mire, mollify, muck, mud, muffle, multitude, mush, muzzle, nonplus, ooze, overthrow, overturn, overwhelm, paper pulp, parry, paste, pestle, pith, plaster, plump, porridge, poultice, pound, pour water on, powder, press, pudding, pulp, pulp lead, pulpify, pulpwood, pulverize, push, put down, put out, put to silence, quash, quell, quench, quiet, quieten, rag pulp, rebut, reduce to powder, reduce to silence, refute, relax, repress, rhonchus, sauce, scatter, scrunch, settle, shake up, shard, shatter, shiver, shred, shush, shushing, shut down on, shut up, sibilance, sibilate, sibilation, siffle, sigmatism, silence, siss, sissing, sit down on, sit on, sizz, sizzle, sizzling, slime, slip, slob, slop, slosh, sludge, slush, smash, smash all opposition, smash up, smother, sneeze, sneezing, sniff, sniffle, snore, snort, snuff, snuff out, snuffle, soft-pedal, soften, soften up, spit, splinter, splutter, sponge, sputter, squab, squeeze, squelch, squish, stamp out, stanch, sternutation, stertor, stifle, still, strangle, strike dumb, stultify, subdue, subvert, suffocate, sulfate pulp, sulfite pulp, supple, suppress, swill, swish, tenderize, throng, throttle, tone down, trample out, trample underfoot, triturate, tune down, undermine, upset, wheeze, whish, whistle, whistling, white lead, white noise, whiz, whoosh, wood pulp, zip

ROGET THESAURUS

squash

Destruction

VB be destroyed, perish, fall to the ground, tumble, topple, go to pieces, fall to pieces, break up, crumble to dust, go to the dogs, go to the wall, go to smash, go to shivers, go to wreck, go to pot, go to wrack and ruin, go by the board, go all to smash, be all over, be all up, be all with, totter to its fall, destroy, do away with, make away with, nullify, annual, sacrifice, demolish, tear up, overturn, overthrow, overwhelm, upset, subvert, put an end to, seal the doom of, do in, do for, dish, undo, break up, cut up, break down, cut down, pull down, mow down, blow down, beat down, suppress, quash, put down, do a job on, cut short, take off, blot out, dispel, dissipate, dissolve, consume, smash, crash, quell, squash, squelch, crumple up, shatter, shiver, batter to pieces, tear to pieces, crush to pieces, cut to pieces, shake to pieces, pull to pieces, pick to pieces, laniate, nip, tear to rags, tear to tatters, crush to atoms, knock to atoms, ruin, strike out, throw over, knock down over, fell, sink, swamp, scuttle, wreck, shipwreck, engulf, ingulf, submerge, lay in ashes, lay in ruins, sweep away, erase, wipe out, expunge, raze, level with the dust, level with the ground, waste, atomize, vaporize, deal destruction, desolate, devastate, lay waste, ravage gut, disorganize, dismantle, devour, swallow up, sap, mine, blast, bomb, blow to smithereens, drop the big one, confound, exterminate, extinguish, quench, annihilate, snuff out, put out, stamp out, trample out, lay in the dust, trample in the dust, prostrate, tread under foot, crush under foot, trample under foot, lay the ax to the root of, make short work of, make clean sweep of, make mincemeat of, cut up root and branch, chop into pieces, cut into ribbons, fling to the winds, scatter to the winds, throw overboard, strike at the root of, sap the foundations of, spring a mine, blow up, ravage with fire and sword, cast to the dogs, eradicate.

Impulse

N impulse, sudden thought, impromptu, improvisation, inspiration, flash, spurt, improvisatore, creature of impulse, extemporaneous, impulsive, indeliberate, snap, improvised, improvisate, improvisatory, unpremeditated, unmeditated, improvise, unprompted, unguided, natural, unguarded, spontaneous, instinctive, extempore, extemporaneously, offhand, impromptu, a limproviste, improviso, on the spur of the moment, on the spur of the occasion, impulse, impulsion, impetus, momentum, push, pulsion, thrust, shove, jog, jolt, brunt, booming, boost, throw, explosion, propulsion, percussion, concussion, collision, occursion, clash, encounter, cannon, carambole, appulse, shock, crash, bump, impact, elan, charge, beating, blow, dint, stroke, knock, tap, rap, slap, smack, pat, dab, fillip, slam, bang, hit, whack, thwack, cuff, squash, dowse, swap, whap, punch, thump, pelt, kick, punce, calcitration, ruade, arietation, cut, thrust, lunge, yerk, carom, carrom, clip, jab, plug, sidewinder, sidewipe, sideswipe, hammer, sledge hammer, mall, maul, mallet, flail, ram, rammer, battering ram, monkey, pile-driving engine, punch, bat, cant hook, cudgel, ax, dynamics, seismometer, accelerometer, earthquake detector, impelling, impulsive, impellent, booming, dynamic, dynamical, impelled, a hit, a very palpable hit.

Softness

VB render soft, soften, mollify, mellow, relax, temper, mash, knead, squash, bend, yield, relent, relax, give, plasticize'.

Marsh

N marsh, swamp, morass, marish, moss, fen, bog, quagmire, slough, sump, wash, mud, squash, slush, baygall, cienaga, jhil, vlei, marsh, marshy, swampy, boggy, plashy, poachy, quaggy, soft, muddy, sloppy, squashy, paludal, moorish, moory, fenny.

Semiliquidity

N semiliquidity, stickiness, viscidity, viscosity, gummosity, glutinosity, mucosity, spissitude, crassitude, lentor, adhesiveness, inspissation, incrassation, thickening, jelly, mucilage, gelatin, gluten, carlock, fish glue, ichthyocol, ichthycolla, isinglass, mucus, phlegm, goo, pituite, lava, glair, starch, gluten, albumen, milk, cream, protein, treacle, gum, size, glue (tenacity), wax, beeswax, emulsion, soup, squash, mud, slush, slime, ooze, moisture, marsh, semifluid, semiliquid, tremellose, half melted, half frozen, milky, muddy, lacteal, lactean, lacteous, lactescent, lactiferous, emulsive, curdled, thick, succulent, uliginous, gelatinous, albuminous, mucilaginous, glutinous, glutenous, gelatin, mastic, amylaceous, ropy, clammy, clotted, viscid, viscous, sticky, tacky, gooey, slab, slabby, lentous, pituitous, mucid, muculent, mucous, gummy.

VB inspissate, incrassate, thicken, mash, squash, churn, beat up, sinter.

Sibilation

VB hiss, buzz, whiz, rustle, fizz, fizzle, wheeze, whistle, snuffle, squash, sneeze, sizzle, swish.