verb
quench
KWENCH/kwentʃ/
To extinguish burning by removing its heat.
The man quenches the campfire by pouring water over the burning logs.
Etymology
The Old English verb referred to extinguishing fire or light. Its use broadened to ending bodily demands such as thirst and hunger, alongside putting out flames.
In context
if there is a little Brook Meandering through the battlefield its bed gets filled and choked up with the bodies of those who crawled there in their Agony to quench their horrible thirst and die
More examples
- We quenched the campfire with water before leaving.
- Rain quenches the small brush fire before it spreads.
- Keep pouring water until every glowing ember is quenched.
Forms
quench · quenches · quenched · quenching
Similar words
- extinguish
- Means putting out a fire, without specifying the method.
- douse
- Emphasizes soaking with liquid, which may extinguish a fire.