quell

WOTD – 27 May 2009    

See also Quell

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kwɛl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Etymology 1

Old English cwellan (“to kill”). Compare Old Armenian կեղ (keł, “sore, ulcer”), Old Church Slavonic жаль (žalĭ, “pain”), German quälen (“to torment, agonize, smite”).

Verb

quell (third-person singular simple present quells, present participle quelling, simple past and past participle quelled)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To kill. [9th-19th c.]
2. (transitive) To subdue, to put down; to silence or force (someone) to submit. [from 10th c.]
3. (transitive) To suppress, to put an end to (something); to extinguish. [from 14th c.]

   to quell grief

   to quell the tumult of the soul

4. (obsolete, intransitive) To be subdued or abated; to diminish. [16th-17th c.]

Translations

transitive: to take the life of; to kill — see kill

transitive: to subdue, put down

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 壓制 (cmn), 压制 (cmn) (yāzhì)

• Czech: přemoci (cs)
• Dutch: overmeesteren (nl)
• Finnish: kukistaa (fi), murskata (fi), tukahduttaa (fi)
• French: réprimer (fr)

• German: unterdrücken (de)
• Italian: reprimere (it), sedare (it)
• Japanese: 押さえる (ja) (おさえる, osaeru)
• Portuguese: sedar (pt)
• Russian: подавлять (ru) (podavljátʹ) impf., подавить (ru) (podavítʹ) pf.
• Scottish Gaelic: ceannsaich (gd), mùch (gd)

transitive: to suppress, put an end to

• Czech: potlačit (cs), zkrotit (cs)
• Dutch: onderwerpen (nl),uitroeien (nl)
• Finnish: tyynnyttää (fi), rauhoittaa (fi)

• Japanese: 鎮める (ja) (しずめる, shizumeru)
• Russian: успокаивать (ru) (uspokáivatʹ) impf., успокоить (ru) (uspokóitʹ) pf.
• Scottish Gaelic: ceannsaich (gd), mùch (gd)

Etymology 2

German Quelle.

Noun

quell (plural quells)

1. A spring or fountain.