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Quell

//kwɛl// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A subduing.

    "The quell of the rebellion raised Justinian to the acme of power."

  2. 2
    A source, especially a spring.

    "And when they had eaten, and sat resting in a grotto, he was still singing, and she was the goddess of his Muse, — the quell of living waters out of which he drew fresh strength for new lays."

  3. 3
    An emotion or sensation which rises suddenly.

    "A quell of strength over took Robin with each of his words. She was about to fall apart, but Jacob was as brave as a warrior going into battle."

Verb
  1. 1
    To subdue, put down, or silence (someone or something); to force (someone) to submit. transitive

    "The nation obeyed the call, rallied round the sovereign, and enabled him to quell the disaffected minority."

  2. 2
    suppress or crush completely wordnet
  3. 3
    To suppress, to put an end to (something); to extinguish. transitive

    "to quell grief"

  4. 4
    overcome or allay wordnet
  5. 5
    To kill. obsolete, transitive

    "Like barbarous miſcreants, they quelled Virgins vnto death, […]"

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    To be subdued or abated; to diminish. intransitive, obsolete

    "Winter's wrath begins to quell."

  2. 7
    To die.

    "Yet he did quake and quaver, like to quell."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English quellen, from Old English cwellan (“to kill”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwalljan, from Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną (“to make die; kill”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-. Cognate with German quälen (“to torment; agonise; smite”), Swedish kvälja (“to torment”), Icelandic kvelja (“to torture; torment”). Compare also Old Armenian կեղ (keł, “sore, ulcer”), Old Church Slavonic жаль (žalĭ, “pain”). See also kill, which may be its doublet.

Etymology 2

From Middle English quellen, from Old English cwellan (“to kill”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwalljan, from Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną (“to make die; kill”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-. Cognate with German quälen (“to torment; agonise; smite”), Swedish kvälja (“to torment”), Icelandic kvelja (“to torture; torment”). Compare also Old Armenian կեղ (keł, “sore, ulcer”), Old Church Slavonic жаль (žalĭ, “pain”). See also kill, which may be its doublet.

Etymology 3

From Middle English *quelle (suggested by the verb quellen (“to well up; gush forth”)), from Old English cwylla, cwiella (“spring; source”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwalljā (“spring, well”). Compare German Quelle.

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