vanquish means to defeat (someone); to overcome. It carries an Arena rating of 1482, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, vanquish ranks #1,729 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #5,308 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #6,373 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #7,671 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
vanquish is pronounced /ˈvæŋkwɪʃ/.
Why “vanquish” is a great word
To defeat an opponent or overcome something completely and decisively. From Middle English venquysshen, vaynquisshen, borrowed from a conjugated form of Old French veincre, from Latin vincō ("to conquer, overcome, defeat"). Unlike "subdue," which implies bringing under a lingering control, or "conquer," which often fixes on the acquisition of dominion, to vanquish is the decisive, final act of breaking an adversary's power. It is the shattering of a champion's sword, the enemy standard lowered in the dust, the absolute silence where a battle-cry once roared—victory not as possession but as erasure, the stark moment when resistance ceases to exist.
Etymology
From Middle English venquysshen, vaynquisshen, borrowed from a conjugated form of Old French veincre, from Latin vincō.
verb
- To defeat (someone); to overcome.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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