Standard Lemma guide

quenching

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, UK, US: /ˈkwɛn.t͡ʃɪŋ/
  • Australian: /ˈkwen.t͡ʃɪŋ/
  • rhymes with -ɛntʃɪŋ
  • CMU ARPABET: K W EH1 N CH IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The extinction of any of several physical properties.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The rapid cooling of a hot metal object, by placing it in a liquid, in order to harden it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: engineering, metallurgy, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A process in which a galaxy loses cold gas, thus strongly suppressing star formation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The dissipation of energy from light in excess of what can be used for photosynthesis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

Examples

  • 2022 August 27, Michael Le Page, Genetic tweaking increases soy yield by upgrading photosynthesis, New Scientist, Issue 3401, page 16, When a leaf is in full sunshine, it absorbs more light energy than its photosynthetic machinery can handle. This damages cells unless they turn on a mechanism known as quenching to dissipate the excess energy. When a leaf is shaded, however, quenching has to be turned off to avoid dissipating energy that could be used.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

present participle and gerund of quench

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the act of extinguishing; causing to stop burning

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the extinction of the lights

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: extinction, extinguishing

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: termination, ending, conclusion

History

Etymology

From Middle English quenchinge, equivalent to quench + -ing.

From Middle English quenching, quenchyng, quenchand, quenchende, equivalent to quench + -ing.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Indonesian: pemadaman — physics: extinction of physical properties
  • Dutch: harden — rapid cooling of hot metal object
  • Dutch: schrikken — rapid cooling of hot metal object
  • Dutch: afschrikken — rapid cooling of hot metal object
  • Finnish: karkaisu — rapid cooling of hot metal object
  • French: trempe — rapid cooling of hot metal object
  • Indonesian: pendinginan — rapid cooling of hot metal object
  • Italian: tempra — rapid cooling of hot metal object
  • Japanese: 焼入れ — rapid cooling of hot metal object
  • Polish: hartowanie — rapid cooling of hot metal object
  • Spanish: templado — rapid cooling of hot metal object