Past tense of crash; to hit or collide with something violently, or to suddenly stop working (like a computer).
From Middle English 'crassen,' likely from an imitative origin mimicking the sound of breaking or collision. Related to 'crash' as both a verb and noun describing violent impact or the sound it makes.
The word 'crashed' is perfectly onomatopoetic—it sounds like its meaning! Remarkably, 'crash' has evolved to mean both a violent physical collision AND a sudden computer failure, showing how technology steals words from everyday life to describe digital events.
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