squelch

Etymology

Unknown. Perhaps a blend of squash +‎ quell +‎ quench. Compare also English squolsh, English squoosh.

Pronunciation

• (UK, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈskwɛltʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɛltʃ

Verb

squelch (third-person singular simple present squelches, present participle squelching, simple past and past participle squelched)

1. (transitive, US) to halt, stop, eliminate, stamp out, or put down, often suddenly or by force

   Even the king’s announcement could not squelch the rumors.

   • Beaumont and Fletcher

     Oh 'twas your luck and mine to be squelched.

   • Carlyle

     If you deceive us you will be squelched.

2. (transitive, radio technology) to suppress the unwanted hiss or static between received transmissions by adjusting a threshold level for signal strength, below which the signal is suppressed by applying a gain of zero, and above which a positive (and linear from zero) gain is applied.
3. (intransitive, Britain) to make a sucking, splashing noise as when walking on muddy ground

   The mud squelched underfoot; it had been raining all night.

   • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XVI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, OCLC 1227855:

     [After they both fell into the lake.] Reaching the mainland some moments later and squelching back to the house, accompanied by Bobbie, like a couple of Napoleons squelching back from Moscow, [...]

4. (intransitive, Britain) to walk or step through a substance such as mud

   The mud was thick and sticky underfoot, but we squelched through it nonetheless.

Noun

squelch (plural squelches)

1. A squelching sound.
2. (radio technology) suppression of the unwanted hiss or static between received transmissions by adjusting the gain of the receiver.