Abash Definition
To make ashamed; to embarrass; to destroy the self-possession of, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, mistake, or inferiority; to disconcert; to discomfit. [First attested from around (1150 to 1350).]
Origin of Abash
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First attested in 1303. From Middle English abaisen, abaishen, abashen (“to gape with surprise”) etc., from Anglo-Norman abaïss, from Middle French abair, abaïsser (“to astonish, alter”), from Old French esbaïr, ébahir, from es (“utterly”) + bair (“to astonish”), from Latin ex- (“out of”) + baer (“to gape”), from batāre (“to yawn, gape”).
From Wiktionary
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Middle English abaishen to lose one's composure from Old French esbahir esbahiss- es- intensive pref. (from Latin ex- ex–) baer to gape bay2
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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