The state of being embarrassed, confused, or ashamed; a feeling of sudden surprise that makes you lose your composure.
From 'abash' (to embarrass) + '-ment' (a state or condition). 'Abash' comes from Old French 'abassir,' meaning to reduce or humble, ultimately from Latin 'bassus' (low).
The emotion of 'abashment' is that split second when you say something wrong in front of everyone and your face goes red—it's the feeling itself, not just the action. Interestingly, it's become much rarer in modern English, probably because we now use simpler words like 'embarrassment.'
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