DictionaryRoot: ex-
Latin

ex-

out, away; also thoroughly

Forms

  • ex-
  • e- — Shortened in Latin before certain consonants.
  • ef- — Used before f in Latin.
  • es- — Developed from ex- in French.
  • s- — In some French borrowings, es- lost its initial e.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *eghs, ‘out.’

Note

The outward sense could extend to carrying an action through completely.

270 / 271
noun

squash

An indoor racket sport played by hitting a ball against a wall.

Etymology

The racket sport takes its name from the soft ball that deforms or squashes on impact. The ball's behavior distinguished it from harder-ball games.

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