quell

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /kwɛl/ UK /kwɛl/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like quail /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/ Sounds like quare /l/ vs /r/

Meanings

1

verb
to put an end to, usually by force; to suppress or subdue

Troops were sent in to quell the uprising.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to put an end to, usually... suppress subdue quash crush stifle squelch pacify

Opposites

incite provoke foment arouse

Word family

Derived forms quellerquelling

Simplified etymology

Quell is recorded in Old English with the meaning “to kill.” It may be historically related to kill, although the origin of kill itself is uncertain.

Etymology

From Old English cwellan ('to kill, destroy, put to death'), from Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ('to throw, pierce, hurt').

cwellan Old English *kwaljaną Proto-Germanic *gʷelH- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# quell

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /kwɛl/
**IPA (UK):** /kwɛl/

## Meanings
1. to put an end to, usually by force; to suppress or subdue

## Examples
- Troops were sent in to quell the uprising.

## Synonyms
- suppress
- subdue
- quash
- crush
- stifle
- squelch
- pacify

## Antonyms
- incite
- provoke
- foment
- arouse

## Derived Forms
- queller
- quelling

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: cwellan
- Root: *kwaljaną
- Root: *gʷelH-

## Etymology
From Old English cwellan ('to kill, destroy, put to death'), from Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ('to throw, pierce, hurt').

## AI Etymology
Quell comes from Old English cwellan ('to kill, destroy, put to death'), from Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ('to throw, pierce, hurt'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a verb, it means "to put an end to, usually by force; to suppress or subdue", so the modern sense keeps the older action or relation visible. Relevant historical forms include Old English cwellan, Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną, and Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-. Derivative forms include queller, quelling.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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