quell

[kwel]

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 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

Related formsquell·a·ble, adjectivequell·er, nounun·quell·a·ble, adjectiveun·quelled, adjective

Can be confusedquail quell quill

Synonyms for quell

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

Antonyms for quell

1, 2. foster. 3. agitate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for unquellable

quell

verb (tr)

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

to overcome or allayto quell pain; to quell grief

Derived Formsqueller, 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

Word Origin and History for unquellable

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.