cwellan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *kwalljan, from Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną (“to torment”). Cognates include Old Saxon quellian, Middle Dutch quellen (Dutch kwellen), Old High German quellen (German quälen), Old Norse kvelja (Danish kvæle).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwel.lɑn/, [ˈkweɫ.ɫɑn]

Verb

cwellan

1. to kill
2. to slay

Conjugation

Conjugation of cwellan (weak class 1)

infinitive	cwellan	cwellenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	cwelle	cwealde
second person singular	cwelest	cwealdest
third person singular	cweleþ	cwealde
plural	cwellaþ	cwealdon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	cwelle	cwealde
plural	cwellen	cwealden
imperative
singular	cwele
plural	cwellaþ
participle	present	past
	cwellende	(ġe)cweald

Derived terms

• cwellere

Descendants

• Middle English: quellen, cwellen, quell, quelle, qwell, qwelle; cwellenn (Ormulum)
  • English: quell
  • Scots: quell, quel

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “cwellan”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.