Hushing

[huhsh] /hʌʃ/

interjection
1.
(used as a command to be silent or quiet.)
verb (used without object)
2.
to become or be silent or quiet:
They hushed as the judge walked in.
verb (used with object)
3.
to make silent; silence.
4.
to suppress mention of; keep concealed (often followed by up):
They hushed up the scandal.
5.
to calm, quiet, or allay:
to hush someone’s fears.
noun
6.
silence or quiet, especially after noise.
7.
Phonetics. either of the sibilant sounds (sh) and (zh).
adjective
8.
Archaic. silent; quiet.
/hʌʃ/
verb
1.
to make or become silent; quieten
2.
to soothe or be soothed
noun
3.
stillness; silence
4.
an act of hushing
interjection
5.
a plea or demand for silence
/hʌʃ/
verb (transitive)
1.
to run water over the ground to erode (surface soil), revealing the underlying strata and any valuable minerals present
2.
to wash (an ore) by removing particles of earth with rushing water
noun
3.
a gush of water, esp when artificially produced
v.

1540s, variant of Middle English huisht (late 14c.), probably of imitative origin, with terminal -t lost probably by being mistaken for a past tense suffix. Hush-hush (adj.) is 1916 reduplication. Related: Hushed; hushing. The noun is attested from 1680s. As an interjection meaning “be quiet,” attested by c.1600. To hush (one’s) mouth “be quiet” is attested from 1878. Hush up “suppress talk for secrecy’s sake” is from 1630s. Hush-money is attested from 1709. Hush-puppy “deep-fried ball of cornmeal batter” first attested 1899; as a type of lightweight soft shoe, it is a proprietary name, registered 1961.