different between quell vs quiet

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kw?l/

Etymology 1

From Middle English quellen, from Old English cwellan (“to kill”), from Proto-Germanic *kwaljan? (“to make die; kill”). Cognate with German quälen (“to torment; agonise; smite”), Swedish kvälja (“to torment”), Icelandic kvelja (“to torture; torment”). Compare also Old Armenian ??? (ke?, “sore, ulcer”), Old Church Slavonic ???? (žal?, “pain”). See also kill.

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To subdue, to put down; to silence or force (someone) to submit. [from 10th c.]
   • 1849, Thomas Macaulay, History of England, Chapter 1:

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

   • 1858, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Courtship of Miles Standish

     Northward marching to quell the sudden revolt.

2. (transitive) To suppress, to put an end to (something); to extinguish. [from 14th c.]

   to quell grief

   to quell the tumult of the soul
3. (obsolete, transitive) To kill. [9th-19th c.]
   • (Can we find and add a quotation of Edmund Spenser to this entry?)
4. (obsolete, intransitive) To be subdued or abated; to diminish. [16th-17th c.]

   • Winter's wrath begins to quell.

5. To die.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Chapter 7:

     Yet he did quake and quaver, like to quell.

Noun

quell (plural quells)

1. A subduing.
   • 1903, Knowledge: A Monthly Record of Science

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

   • 1994, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. international drug control policy: recent experience, future options : seminar proceedings, Government Printing Office ?ISBN

     The consequences have not been significant in terms of the quell of any of the three drugs into the United States.

   • 2013, Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire, Scholastic UK

     But to make things even worse, this is the year of the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games, and that means it's also a Quarter Quell. They occur every twenty-five years, marking the anniversary of the districts' defeat with over-the-top celebrations and, for extra fun, some miserable twist for the tributes.

   • 2014, Markham J. Geller, Melammu: The Ancient World in an Age of Globalization, epubli ?ISBN, page 136

     An example can be found in the data about the campaigns of Aššur-b?n-apli against Arab tribes after the quell of the revolt of Šamaš-šumuk?n.

Related terms

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “quell”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Etymology 2

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

Noun

quell (plural quells)

1. A source, especially a spring.
   • 1969, Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, Ada, Or, Ardor, a Family Chronicle, Vintage ?ISBN

     Other excruciations replaced her namesake's loquacious quells so completely that when, during a lucid interval, she happened to open with her weak little hand a lavabo cock for a drink of water, the tepid lymph replied in its own lingo […]

   • 2001, Hans-Dieter Klingemann, Andrea Römmele, Public Information Campaigns and Opinion Research: A Handbook for the Student and Practitioner, SAGE ?ISBN, page 82

     The strategists had access to a wide array of private polling and information from focus groups; a quell of information stretching back over his years as a state-wide candidate and office holder.

2. An emotion or sensation which rises suddenly.
   • 2001, Zane Gates, The Cure, iUniverse ?ISBN, page 241

     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.

   • 2011, Linda Lee Chaikin, Hawaiian Crosswinds, Moody Publishers ?ISBN

     For a moment their eyes locked, and she felt a quell of anger rise above her apprehension. Reality struck with appalling clarity, yet she could only lie down, partially drugged and untidy as she was from such rough traveling.

   • 2012, Molly Hopkins, It Happened at Boot Camp: Exclusive Novella, Hachette UK ?ISBN

     I read on. It will cost two hundred and fifty quid. I felt a quell of alarm, that's quite expensive.

Middle English

Verb

quell

1. Alternative form of quellen

English

Etymology

From Middle English quiete, from Old French quiet (adjective) and quiete (noun), from Latin qui?tus, past participle of qui?scere (“to keep quiet, rest”). Doublet of coy and quietus.

Pronunciation

• enPR: kw?'?t, IPA^(key): /?kwa?.?t/
• (weak vowel merger) enPR: kw?'?t, IPA^(key): /?kwa?.?t/
• Rhymes: -a??t

Adjective

quiet (comparative quieter or more quiet, superlative quietest or most quiet)

1. With little or no sound; free of disturbing noise.

2. Having little motion or activity; calm.

3. Not busy, of low quantity.

4. Not talking much or not talking loudly; reserved.

5. Not showy; undemonstrative.

6. (software) Requiring little or no interaction.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:quiet.

Synonyms

• (with little sound): See also Thesaurus:silent
• (having little motion): See also Thesaurus:calm
• (not busy): slow, unbusy
• (not talking): See also Thesaurus:taciturn
• (not showy): modest, plain, simple

Antonyms

• loud
• sounded
• vocal

Translations

Verb

quiet (third-person singular simple present quiets, present participle quieting, simple past and past participle quieted)

1. To become quiet, silent, still, tranquil, calm.

   Synonyms: quiet down, quieten

2. To cause someone to become quiet.

   Synonyms: quiet down, quieten

Translations

Noun

quiet (plural quiets)

1. The absence of sound; quietness.

2. the absence of movement; stillness, tranquility

Translations

Interjection

quiet

1. Be quiet.

Related terms

Further reading

• quiet in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• quiet in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• quiet at OneLook Dictionary Search
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “quiet”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• quite

Catalan

Etymology

First attested 1490. From Latin qui?tus, in this form probably a borrowing or a semi-learned term; cf. also the Old Catalan form quet, queda, which was likely inherited.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /ki??t/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ki??t/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ki?et/

Adjective

quiet (feminine quieta, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quietes)

1. calm, stopped
2. quiet

Synonyms

• aturat
• detingut

Related terms

• quedar

Copallén

Noun

quiet

1. water

References

• Willem F. H. Adelaar, The Languages of the Andes

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin qui?tus, from qui?s (“rest”). Doublet of coi, which was inherited, and quitte, another borrowing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kj?/

Adjective

quiet (feminine singular quiète, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quiètes)

1. (rare, literary) calm, quiet, peaceful, at ease

Synonyms

• See calme

Related terms

• quiétude

Usage notes

Its antonym inquiet is much more common.

Further reading

• “quiet” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin qui?tus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?kjet]

Adjective

quiet m (feminine singular quieta, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quietas)

1. calm, stopped
2. quiet

Synonyms

• suau
• tranquil