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hush

(hŭsh)

v. hushed, hush·ing, hush·es

v.tr.

1. To make silent or quiet.

2. To calm; soothe.

3. To keep from public knowledge; suppress mention of. Often used with up: tried to hush up the damaging details.

v.intr.

To be or become silent or still.

A silence or stillness, especially after noise.

adj.
Archaic

Silent; quiet.

[Probably back-formation from Middle English husht, silent, of imitative origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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