Crushings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To apply pressure resulting in a compressive force that destroys something's form
2. To inflict overwhelming emotional distress or sadness on someone through love or loss
3. To defeat an opponent decisively or to exert powerful influence over a situation or person

Etymology: "Crushings" is the plural of "crushing," a noun that means a decisive defeat, and it is built from the verb "crush" with the suffix "-ing." The verb is the older part of the story: it came into English from Old French "croissir" or a related form, and its earliest senses were physical, to squeeze or press something until it breaks or is reduced to pieces. The noun grew out of that sense of total destruction, so a defeat that leaves an opponent flattened carries the same image of pressure and collapse.