v. Forms: 4–5 expelle, 6–7 expeil, 6– expel. [ad. L. expell-ĕre, f. ex- out + pellĕre to drive, thrust: cf. COMPEL. OF. had espellir, and in 15th c. expeller.]
1. trans. To drive or thrust out; to eject by force. Const. from (rarely out of) also with double obj. (by omission of from).
a. With obj. a person, etc.: To eject, dislodge by force from a position; to banish from, compel to quit, a place or country.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, xx. 446. Reynawde and his brethern were thus expelled out of it [mountalban].
1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 819/2. God … expelled those heretikes and scismatikes out of heauen.
1577. trans. Bullinger’s Decades (1592), 838. The Apostles receiued power from the Lord … that they should expell and cast them [the devils] out.
1628. Hobbes, Thucyd., 8. For those that are now called Bœotians … expelled Arne by the Thessalians seated themselues in that Country, which now Bœotia.
c. 1710. Celia Fiennes, Diary (1888), 266. Such a State takes Care … to Expel him their Dominions by proclamation.
1749. G. West, trans. Pindar’s Olympic Odes, xii. 36/71. Sedition’s Civil Broils Expell’d thee from thy native Crete.
1754. Hume, Hist. Eng., I. xi. 229. He sent … two knights … to expel them the convent.
1863. Fr. A. Kemble, Resid. in Georgia, 31. Bidding the elder boys and girls … expel the poultry.
b. With a material thing as obj.: To drive out from a receptacle, etc., by mechanical force; to discharge, send off (e.g., a bullet from a gun, † an arrow from a bow); to drive off or dislodge (a substance) from a chemical compound, mixture, solution, etc. Also, † To expel forth.
1669. Sturmy, Mariner’s Mag., V. xii. 80. The Shot is … expelled with no other thing, than by the Air’s exaltation.
1695. Woodward, Nat. Hist. Earth, III. (1723), 151. It [water] is usualy expelled forth in vast Quantities.
1700. Dryden, Fables, Meleager & Atal., 151/111 (J.).
| Mean time the Virgin-Huntress was not slow | |
| T’ expel the Shaft from her contracted Bow. |
c. 1790. Imison, Sch. Arts, I. 74. Expelling the water into the bason.
1807. T. Thomson, Chem. (ed. 3), II. 394. Alcohol … absorbs about its own weight of nitrous gas, which cannot afterwards be expelled by heat. Ibid. (1838), Chem. Org. Bodies, 168. Not capable of being expelled by a stronger base.
1860. Maury, Phys. Geog. Sea, xi. § 512. If still more heat be applied … the air will be entirely expelled.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., 77. The matter … thus expelled from the powder by heat.
c. Of the body or its organs: To cast out, eject (the contents, any foreign substance, excrements, etc.); = EXCLUDE v. 7. Also said of the action of drugs, etc.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 1893. The vertu expulsif, or animal … Ne may the venym voyden ne expelle.
1542. Boorde, Dyetary, iv. (1870), 237. To expell … all corrupt and contagyous ayre. Ibid. (1542), Brev. Health, § 356. Vnto the tyme the matter be expelled … out of the throte.
1671. Salmon, Syn. Med., III. xxii. 395. Chervil expells wind.
1767. Gooch, Treat. Wounds (ed.), II. 216. Some months after, a piece of cloth was expelled, till which time the wound kept open.
1809. Med. Jrnl., XXI. 338. The child had been very recently expelled from the womb.
1836. Todd, Cycl. Anat., I. 519/2. There is an organ for … expelling an inky fluid.
absol. 1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 36. Other parts of the Body … are moued to expell by Consent.
d. With immaterial object. In Math. formerly = ELIMINATE.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 1271. Hir cusynace hath don al at she mycht … to expel that thing out of hir thocht.
1540. Coverdale, Fruitf. Less., i. Wks. I. 259. To expel from us all pride and presumptuousness.
1610. Shaks., Temp., V. i. 76. You, brother mine, that … Expelld remorse, and nature.
1626. Donne, Ignat. Conclave, 7. He gloried of hauing expelled an old Religion.
1697. Dampier, Voy., I. ii. 14. These hardships quite expell’d the thoughts of an Enemy.
1828. Hutton, Course Math., II. 49, note. The quantity c … must be expelled from this formula.
1862. H. Spencer, First Princ., II. iii. § 46 (1875), 160. Our ability to expel the idea from consciousness.
2. To turn out, eject (a person) from a society, community, etc. Const. as in 1.
1534. Anne Boleyn, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 116, II. 46. Richard Herman … was … put and expelled from his fredome and felowshipe in the Englishe house there.
1648. Hunting of Fox, 11. Yet were they … expell’d the University.
a. 1680. Butler, Rem. (1759), I. 215.
| Next him, his Scholar striving to expel | |
| All Poets his poetic Commonweal. |
1769. Junius Lett., xvi. 56. The house of commons have a right to expel one of their own members.
1820. Southey, Life Wesley, II. 497. Whoever acted contrary … should be expelled the Society.
1884. Pae, Eustace, 57. You are expelled from the house which you have indelibly disgraced.
† 3. To reject from attention or consideration; to refuse. Obs.
1575. in W. H. Turner, Select. Rec. Oxford, 365. The common welth are … utterly expeld and let goe for lacke of loking to.
1591. Spenser, M. Hubberd, 95. Would you not poor fellowship expel, Myself would offer you t’accompany.
1640–1. Kirkcudbr. War-Comm. Min. Bk. (1855), 5. The said day the Committie expelles the resounes preponit be Borge and Johne Gordoun.
1742. Pope, Dunc., IV. 196. Each fierce Logician, still expelling Locke.
† 4. ‘To keep off, exclude, keep out’ (J.). Obs.
1602. Shaks., Ham., V. i. 239. Oh, that that earth [Cæsar’s dead body], which kept the world in awe, Should patch a Wall, t’expell the winters flaw.
Hence Expelled ppl. a., Expelling vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 1557, 819/2. Receiuing of synne is expelling of grace.
1545. Raynold, Byrth Mankynde (1564), 69 b. The expellyng of the second byrth.
1552. Huloet, Expelled, expulsus.
1632. trans. Bruel’s Praxis Med., 376. These stirre vp the expelling faculty.
1744. Berkeley, Siris, § 84. 40. This expelling diuretic virtue consisted rather in the salts than the resin.
1774. Goldsm., Grecian Hist., I. 105. Hippias, the expelled tyrant of Athens.
1846. Greener, Sc. Gunnery, 293. How get you an equal pressure of the expelling force?
