quench
/kwɛnt͡ʃ/verb, noun
quench is spelled Q-U-E-N-C-H: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, quench means “To satisfy, especially a literal or figurative thirst” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in quench?
| Letters | 6: Q-U-E-N-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,236th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is quench?
Quench appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce quench?
- /kwɛnt͡ʃ/
Quench has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-quench.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of quench
- quenches present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- quenching participle, present
- quenched past, participle
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does quench mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To satisfy, especially a literal or figurative thirst.
The library quenched her thirst for knowledge.
- 2
To extinguish or put out (as a fire or light).
- 3
To cool rapidly by direct contact with liquid coolant, as a blacksmith quenching hot iron.
The swordsmith quenched the sword in an oil bath so that it wouldn't shatter.
- 4
To terminate or greatly diminish (a chemical reaction) by destroying or deforming the remaining reagents.
- 5
To rapidly change the parameters of a physical system.
- 6
To rapidly terminate the operation of a superconducting electromagnet by causing part or all of the magnet's windings to enter the normal, resistive state.
If someone is pinned against the MRI magnet by a ferromagnetic object, you may need to quench the magnet in order to free them.
noun
- 1
The act of quenching something; the fact of being quenched.
- 2
The abnormal termination of operation of a superconducting magnet, occurring when part of the superconducting coil enters the normal (resistive) state.
- 3
A rapid change of the parameters of a physical system.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Quench in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | apaiser, étancher, rassasier, désaltérer , éteindre , tremper |
| German | stillen, löschen , ablöschen, verlöschen, auslöschen |
| Portuguese | saciar, matar a sede , apagar, extinguir , resfriar, temperar (aço) |
| Spanish | matar la sed, aplacar, abrevar , apagar , templar, enfriar en agua |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does quench come from?
From Middle English quenchen, from Old English cwenċan, from Proto-Germanic *kwankijaną.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).