Forms: 1 cwellan, (cwoellan), 3 cwelle, -enn; 3–4 quellen, (5 qvellyn), 3–5 quelle, 5 qwell(e, whell(e, 4, 6 quel, 4– quell. Pa. t. 1 cwealde, 3 qualde, quolde, (pl. cwelden, cwaldenn, qualden), 3–4 queld(e; 4– quelled, (4 -id, 6 Sc. -it, -yt). Pa. pple. 3 i-queld, 4 quelt, 6 queld, 4– quelled, (5 -et). [OE. cwęllan = OS. quellian (MDu. quellen, Du. kwellen), OHG. quellen, chellen (MHG. quellen queln, etc. G. quälen), ON. kvelja (Sw. qvälja, Da. kvæle):—OTeut. *kwaljan, causative from the root kwal-: see QUALE, QUELE.]
1. trans. To kill, slay, put to death, destroy (a person or animal). Now rare or Obs. (in later use associated with sense 3).
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past., xlv. 342. Swelce hwa wille blotan ðæm fæder … his aʓen bearn, & hit ðonne cwelle beforan his eaʓum.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Exod. xxix. 16. Þonne þu hine cwelst, þu nymst his blod.
c. 1205. Lay., 1752. Heo qualden [c. 1275 cwelden] þa Frensce alle þa heo funden.
c. 1250. Death, 14, in O. E. Misc., 168. Þe feond þencheð iwis þe sawle forto cwelle [v.r. quelle].
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 179. Briddes & smale bestes wiþ his bow he quelles.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 1307. He … Bretens doun all þe bild & þe bernys quellis [v.r. whellis].
c. 1510. Barclay, Mirr. Gd. Manners (1570), D vj. If he be much cruell which doth his body quell Who killeth his owne soule is much more cruell.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 20. Like barbarous miscreants, they quelled virgins vnto death.
1658. J. Jones, Ovid’s Ibis, 93. Cassandrus … was by his subjects quelled with earth.
1791. Cowper, Iliad, V. 128. Yet him the dart Quell’d not.
1817. Byron, Manfred, II. i. 85. I never quell’d An enemy, save in my just defence.
absol. 1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 885. Þis king … bigan berne & quelle.
1590. Shaks., Mids. N., V. i. 292. O Fates … Quaile, crush, conclude, and quell.
† b. To dash out, knock down. (Cf. KILL v. 1.) Obs. rare.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, IV. 18 (46). They fyghte … And with here axes out þe braynes quelle.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., I. 636. With mony knok the Romanes doun tha quell.
a. 1550. Christis Kirke Gr., xxi. The carlis with clubbis coud udir quell Quhyle blude at breistis out bokkit.
c. To kill, destroy (a plant). rare–1.
1778. [W. Marshall], Minutes Agric., 6 June 1775. A dry summer, no doubt, quells the roots.
2. To destroy, put an end to, suppress, extinguish, etc. (a thing or state of things, esp. a bad or disagreeable one, a feeling, disposition, etc.).
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 751. Þat syre þat … was borne oure baret to quelle.
a. 1400. Ipotis, 334, in Horstm., Altengl. Leg. (1881), 345. He wente to helle, Þe fendes pouste for to quelle.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., IV. ii. 13. All her sodaine quips, The least whereof would quell a louers hope.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, II. iv. 103. Here some Commentators being not able to quell, never raise this objection.
1678. Trans. Crt. Spain, 25. This light punishment quelled all the false reports.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 342. The captain quelled this mutiny.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., xxxi. III. 249. An indefatigable ardour, which could neither be quelled by adversity, nor satiated by success.
1832. Lander, Adv. Niger, II. xii. 181. We soon succeeded in quelling their fears.
1868. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), II. viii. 173. All opposition was quelled by fire and sword.
3. To crush or overcome (a person or thing); to subdue, vanquish, reduce to subjection or submission; † to force down to.
1570. Satir. Poems Reform., xxiii. 124. Thay did comfort vs, And maid vs fre quhen strangers did vs quell.
1610. Healey, St. Aug., City of God, 650. Pompey the great quelled them first, and made them tributaries to Rome.
1645. Milton, Tetrach., Wks. (1847), 178/1. (Gen. i. 27) The want of this quells them to a servile sense of their own conscious unworthiness.
1748. Gray, Alliance, 91. With side-long plough to quell the flinty ground.
1838. Thirlwall, Greece, IV. xxxiii. 320. It might enable him to quell the revolted Egyptians.
1868. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), II. viii. 297. The energy of William had thus thoroughly quelled all his foes.
absol. 1853. C. Brontë, Villette, xv. He quelled, he kept down when he could.
† 4. intr. QUAIL v. 2, QUEAL v. Obs.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., March, 8. Winters wrath beginnes to quell [gloss. to abate]. Ibid. (a. 1599), F. Q., VII. vii. 42. Then came old January, wrapped well … Yet did he quake and quiver, like to quell.
1616. Surflet & Markh., Country Farme, 114. Where ten thousand haue died for want of this exercise, not one hath quelled which hath beene vsed in this manner.
Hence Quelled ppl. a.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1324. Quykly of þe quelled dere a querré þay maked.
1821. Joanna Baillie, Metr. Leg., Wallace, iii. Her quell’d chiefs must tamely bear From braggart pride the taunting jeer.
