Dictionary.com

quell

[ kwel ]
/ kwɛl /
See synonyms for: quell / quelled / quelling on Thesaurus.com

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.

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Origin of quell

before 900; Middle English quellen,Old English cwellan to kill; akin to Old Norse kvelja to torment, German quälen to vex; cf. kill1

OTHER WORDS FROM quell

quell·a·ble, adjectivequeller, nounun·quell·a·ble, adjectiveun·quelled, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH quell

quail, quell , quill
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to quell

annihilate, subdue, quench, stamp out, crush, conquer, overcome, extinguish, stifle, put down, silence, mitigate, appease, assuage, quiet, soothe, pacify, mollify, allay, ease

British Dictionary definitions for quell

quell
/ (kwɛl) /

verb (tr)

to suppress or beat down (rebellion, disorder, etc); subdue
to overcome or allayto quell pain; to quell grief

Derived forms of quell

queller, noun

Word Origin for quell

Old English cwellan to kill; related to Old Saxon quellian, Old High German quellen, Old Norse kvelja to torment
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012