mash
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mash¹
- /mæʃ/
Rhymes with -æʃ
Where it comes from
From Middle English mash, from Old English mǣsċ, māsċ, māx, from Proto-Germanic *maiskaz, *maiskō (“mixture, mash”), from Proto-Indo-European *meyǵ-, *meyḱ- (“to mix”). Akin to German Meisch, Maische (“mash”), (compare meischen, maischen (“to mash, wash”)), Swedish mäsk (“mash”), and to Old English miscian (“to mix”). See mix.
noun mashes
- A mass of mixed ingredients reduced to a soft pulpy state by beating or pressure; a mass of anything in a soft pulpy state.
- Ground or bruised malt, or meal of rye, wheat, corn, or other grain (or a mixture of malt and meal) steeped and stirred in hot water for making the wort.
- Mashed potatoes.
- A mixture of meal or bran and water fed to animals.
- A mess; trouble. For your vows and oaths, Or I doubt mainly, I shall be i' the mash " too
mash²
- /mæʃ/
Rhymes with -æʃ
Where it comes from
From Middle English mashen, maschen, meshen, from Old English *māsċan, *mǣsċan, from Proto-Germanic *maiskijaną. Cognate with German maischen. Compare also Middle Low German meskewert, mēschewert (“beerwort”).
verb mashes · mashing · mashed
-
To convert into a mash; to reduce to a soft pulpy state by beating or pressure
We had fun mashing apples in a mill.
Similar: pomate
- In brewing, to convert (for example malt, or malt and meal) into the mash which makes wort, by mixing it with hot water.
- To prepare a cup of tea in a teapot; to brew (tea). He took the kettle off the fire and mashed the tea.
- To press down hard (on). to mash on a bicycle pedal
- To press.
- To act violently.
- To press (a button) rapidly and repeatedly.
mash³
- /mæʃ/
Rhymes with -æʃ
Where it comes from
See mesh.
noun mashes
- A mesh.
mash⁴
- /mæʃ/
Rhymes with -æʃ
Where it comes from
Either by analogy with mash (“to press, to soften”), or more likely from Romani masha (“a fascinator, an enticer”), mashdva (“fascination, enticement”). Originally used in theater, and recorded in US in 1870s. Either originally used as mash, or a backformation from masher, from masha. Leland writes of the etymology:
: It was introduced by the well-known gypsy family of actors, C., among whom Romany was habitually spoken. The word “masher” or “mash” means in that tongue to allure, delude, or entice. It was doubtless much aided in its popularity by its quasi-identity with the English word. But there can be no doubt as to the gypsy origin of “mash” as used on the stage. I am indebted for this information to the late well-known impresario [Albert Marshall] Palmer of New York, and I made a note of it years before the term had become at all popular.
verb mashes · mashing · mashed
- To flirt, to make eyes, to make romantic advances. “What's the yarn about your mashing a Miss Haverley up there? Not serious, I hope?”
noun mashes
- An infatuation, a crush, a fancy.
- A dandy, a masher.
- The object of one’s affections (regardless of sex).
mash⁵
- [maʃ]
- [mæʃ]
- /mæʃ/
Rhymes with -æʃ
Where it comes from
Mostly clipping of machine gun, but also for imitative reasons, compare the gun-names mop and broom; intentionally chosen around 2000 due to its homonymy and obscurity for legal reasons.
noun mashes
mash⁶
- /mæʃ/
Rhymes with -æʃ
noun
- Alternative form of maash (“a mung bean”).
MASH⁷
- /mæʃ/ UK
- [maʃ] UK
- /mæʃ/ US
Rhymes with -æʃ
noun
- Acronym of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
- Initialism of municipal, academic, schools and hospitals Don, who is now a member of the Kings Counsel, has been practicing law for over four decades. Focused on municipal law in the MASH sector, his law firm, Lidstone and Company – Barristers and Solicitors has evolved to include 26 lawyers, two articling students and 12 support staff.
Mash⁸
Where it comes from
Probably an alteration of Marsh, a topological surname from Old English mersċ ("bog, swamp, marsh"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *móri ("sea; standing water").
proper noun Mashes
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: crunch, squeeze, grind, crush, flirt, comminute, squelch, bray, dally, chat up, coquet, coquette, philander, romance, squash, squish
Translations
Every language
noun a mass of mixed ingredients
| Español | mezcla, puré |
|---|---|
| Français | purée |
| Deutsch | Brei, Mus |
| Română | pireu, piure |
| Русский | пюре́ pjurɛ́ |
noun in brewing
| Español | malta remojada |
|---|---|
| Français | empâtage, brassin, maische |
| Deutsch | Maische |
noun a mixture of meal or bran and water fed to animals
| Español | amasijo |
|---|---|
| Français | mash |
| Deutsch | Futterbrei |
verb convert (something) into a mash
| Español | machacar, hacer puré, majar, pistar, hacer en puré, convertir en puré |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 搗碎 /捣碎 dǎosuì |
| Português | triturar, amassar |
| Français | écraser |
| Deutsch | zerstampfen, mischen |
| Ελληνικά | πολτοποιώ poltopoió, λιώνω lióno |
| Русский | пюрировать pjurirovatʹ, превращать в пюре prevraščatʹ v pjure |
verb press (something)
| Русский | дави́ть davítʹ |
|---|
Talk about this word "mash." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mash. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. mash. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mash "mash." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mash.Cite this
@misc{mash_2026,
title = {mash},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mash},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
