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gnash

verb, noun — 5 senses

gnash

verb

/ˈnæʃ/

Etymology From Middle English gnasten. Origin unknown; the word is probably either Germanic or onomatopoeic. Compare Old Norse gnastan, Danish gnaske ("munch", "crunch"), German knirschen, German Low German gnirschen, gnörschen (“gnash”), Swedish gnissla (“squeak; gnash”).

1

To grind (one's teeth) in pain or in anger.

  • gnashing your teeth
2

To grind between the teeth.

  • to gnash the air in fury
  • The dog was gnashing a carpet
3

Figuratively To clash together violently.

  • There they were, boiling up in snowy spouts of spray, smiting and gnashing together like the gleaming teeth of hell.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
4

Geordie To run away.

Derived terms
gnasher, gnashing, gnashingly, gnash one's teeth, gnash up, gnashy, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth

gnash

noun

Etymology From Middle English gnasten. Origin unknown; the word is probably either Germanic or onomatopoeic. Compare Old Norse gnastan, Danish gnaske ("munch", "crunch"), German knirschen, German Low German gnirschen, gnörschen (“gnash”), Swedish gnissla (“squeak; gnash”).

1

A sudden snapping of the teeth.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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