Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: cwellan 'to kill'

quell

 verb
     
Related topics: Military, Police
quell [transitive] formal
1SCPPM to end a situation in which people are behaving violently or protesting, especially by using force [= put down]
quell the violence/disturbance/riot etc
Police used live ammunition to quell the disturbances.
2 literary to reduce or stop unpleasant feelings such as fear, doubt, or worry:
'Jerry?' she called, trying to quell the panic inside her.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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