squash

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
squash1

▶verb

• 1 crush or squeeze (something) so that it becomes flat, soft, or out of shape.

  ■ squeeze or force into a restricted space.

• 2 suppress or subdue.

  ■ firmly reject (an idea or suggestion).

  ■ silence (someone), typically with a humiliating remark.

▶noun

• 1 a state of being squashed.

• 2 dated a social gathering or informal meeting.

• 3 Brit. a concentrated liquid made from fruit juice and sugar, diluted to make a drink.

• 4 (also squash rackets) a game in which two players use rackets to hit a small, soft rubber ball against the walls of a closed court.

– derivatives
squashily adverb,
squashiness noun,
squashy adjective .

– origin C16 (as v.): alt. of quash.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
squash2

▶noun (pl. same or squashes)

• 1 a gourd with flesh that can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

• 2 the plant which produces squashes. [Several species and varieties of the genus Cucurbita.]

– origin C17: abbrev. of Narragansett asquutasquash.