quell

[kwel] /kwɛl/

verb (used with object)

to suppress; put an end to; extinguish:

The troops quelled the rebellion quickly.

to vanquish; subdue.

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

Related forms

quellable, adjective

queller, noun

unquellable, adjective

unquelled, adjective

Can be confused

kill, kiln, quell.

Synonyms

1, 2. crush, quash, overpower, overcome, defeat, conquer, quench. 3. calm, pacify, compose, hush.

Antonyms

1, 2. foster. 3. agitate.

Examples from the web for quell

He practiced endlessly as well, to quell his nervousness.
Her bitter Love shall quell me at the last.
If the monsoon lives up to expectations, the prospect of a good summer harvest will help to quell food inflation.
Flanked by newsmen, the mayor-elect tries to quell the pandemonium that broke loose upon his appearance after victory.
Some 200 policemen were summoned to quell the riot.
Reinforcements were called in to quell the disturbance.
In years past, security has been increased for that game to quell fights.
No one knows how to quell the uncertainty.
The breakthrough may one day quell the debate over stem cell research.
In dealing with the smaller and weaker nations, the visit of a single warship might quell trouble.

British Dictionary definitions for quell

quell

/kwɛl/

verb (transitive)

to suppress or beat down (rebellion, disorder, etc); subdue

to overcome or allay: to quell pain, to quell grief

Derived Forms

queller, noun

Word Origin

Old English cwellan to kill; related to Old Saxon quellian, Old High German quellen, Old Norse kvelja to torment

Word Origin and History for quell

Old English cwellan "to kill, murder, execute," from Proto-Germanic *kwaljanan (cf. Old English cwelan "to die," cwalu "violent death;" Old Saxon quellian "to torture, kill;" Old Norse kvelja "to torment;" Middle Dutch quelen "to vex, tease, torment;" Old High German quellan "to suffer pain," German quälen "to torment, torture"), from PIE *gwele- "to throw, reach," with extended sense of "to pierce" (cf. Armenian kelem "I torture;" Old Church Slavonic zali "pain;" Lithuanian galas "end," gela "agony," gelati "to sting"). Milder sense of "suppress, extinguish" developed by c.1300. Related: Quelled; quelling.