water-quenched
|wa-ter-quenched|
🇺🇸
/ˈwɔtərˌkwɛntʃt/
🇬🇧
/ˈwɔːtəˌkwɛntʃt/
(water-quench)
cooled or extinguished with water
Etymology
'water-quenched' is a compound of 'water' and the past participle 'quenched'. 'water' originates from Old English 'wæter', where the root meant 'a body of water or liquid used for wetting or cooling'. 'quench' originates from Old English 'cwencan' (later Middle English 'quenchen'), where the root meant 'to put out, extinguish, or stifle'.
'quench' changed from Old English 'cwencan' to Middle English 'quenchen' and eventually became the modern English verb 'quench'; 'water' developed from Old English 'wæter' through Middle English into modern 'water'. The compound 'water-quenched' arose in modern English to describe something quenched or cooled specifically by water.
Initially, 'quench' meant 'to extinguish or put out (fire)'; over time the verb extended to include 'to cool rapidly (metal) by immersion', so the compound 'water-quenched' came to mean 'cooled, hardened, or extinguished by water'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'water-quench' (to quench or extinguish with water).
After the experiment, the technician water-quenched the samples to stop the reaction.
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Adjective 1
cooled, extinguished, or hardened by water; (especially of metal) rapidly cooled by immersion in water or (of a fire) put out by water.
The water-quenched steel had increased hardness but became more brittle.
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Last updated: 2025/10/15 02:59