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dash

Pronunciation: /ˈdæʃ/

The English word “dash” has 20 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. Any of the following symbols: ‒ (figure dash), – (en dash), — (em dash), or ― (horizontal bar).
  2. A hyphen or minus sign.
  3. The longer of the two symbols of Morse code.
  4. A short run, flight.
  5. A rushing or violent onset.
  6. Violent strike; a whack.
  7. A small quantity of a liquid substance etc.; less than 1/8 of a teaspoon.
  8. A slight admixture.
  9. Ostentatious vigor.
  10. A bribe or gratuity; a gift.
  11. A stand-in for a censored word, like "Devil" or "damn". (Compare deuce.)
  12. The dashboard of a social media user.
  13. A prime symbol.

verb

  1. To run quickly or for a short distance.
  2. To leave or depart.
  3. To destroy by striking (against).
  4. To throw violently.
  5. To sprinkle; to splatter.
  6. To mix, reduce, or adulterate, by throwing in something of an inferior quality.
  7. To ruin; to destroy.

Etymology

From Middle English daschen, dassen, from Danish daske (“to slap, strike”), related to Swedish daska (“to smack, slap, spank”), of obscure origin. Compare German tatschen (“to grope, paw”), Old English dwǣsċan (“to quell, put out, destroy, extinguish”). See also dush.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.