quell
Use Quell in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to suppress; put an end to; extinguish: The troops quelled the rebellion quickly.
2.
to vanquish; subdue.
3.
to quiet or allay (emotions, anxieties, etc.): The child's mother quelled his fears of the thunder.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English quellen, Old English cwellan to kill; akin to Old Norse kvelja to torment, German quälen to vex; cf. kill1
before 900; Middle English quellen, Old English cwellan to kill; akin to Old Norse kvelja to torment, German quälen to vex; cf. kill1
Related forms
quell·a·ble, adjective
quell·er, noun
un·quell·a·ble, adjective
un·quelled, adjective
Synonyms
1, 2. crush, quash, overpower, overcome, defeat, conquer, quench. 3. calm, pacify, compose, hush.
1, 2. crush, quash, overpower, overcome, defeat, conquer, quench. 3. calm, pacify, compose, hush.
Antonyms
1, 2. foster. 3. agitate.
1, 2. foster. 3. agitate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To quell
00:10
Quell
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
| to flee; abscond: |
Collins
World English Dictionary
quell (kwɛl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to suppress or beat down (rebellion, disorder, etc); subdue |
| 2. | to overcome or allay: to quell pain; to quell grief |
| [Old English cwellan to kill; related to Old Saxon quellian, Old High German quellen, Old Norse kvelja to torment] | |
| 'queller | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
quell
O.E. cwellan "to kill, murder, execute," from P.Gmc. *kwaljanan (cf. O.E. cwelan "to die," cwalu "violent death;" O.S. quellian "to torture, kill;" O.N. kvelja "to torment;" M.Du. quelen "to vex, tease, torment;" O.H.G. quellan "to suffer pain," Ger. qualen "to torment, torture"), from root *kwel-/*kwal-
(cf. Armenian kelem "I torture;" O.C.S. zali "pain;" Lith. galas "end," gela "agony," gelati "to sting"). Milder sense of "suppress, extinguish" developed by c.1300.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
In dealing with the smaller and weaker nations, the visit of a single warship might quell trouble.
Her bitter Love shall quell me at the last.
Horn shavings, boiled in water, are said to quieten the liver and quell fevers.
The authorities have deployed thousands of troops to the north-east in an attempt to quell the violence.
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