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SAT TEM8 GRE
外刊例句
- The wars that ripped apart the Democratic Republic of Congo and sucked in its neighbours, causing millions of deaths, have largely been quelled.
内战曾一度令刚果民主共和国四分五裂，且波及多个邻国，令数百万人丧生。如今，战火已基本平息。
——《经济学人》 - They answer our questions and quell feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
它们回答我们的问题，平息孤独和焦虑的感觉。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[verb] put an end to (a rebellion or other disorder), typically by the use of force
[动词] （通常通过使用武力来）结束（叛乱或其他混乱）
深入解读
Quell 是一个与英语单词 quill （翎；翎笔、羽毛笔）比较形似的单词，源自古英语 cwellan （杀人、谋杀、处决），原本表示“杀戮、屠杀”，但该义现已废弃，如今则主要表示通过武力“镇压、平息、压制”暴乱或叛乱等，比如：
- 已抽调了增援警力来平定骚乱。
Extra police were drafted to quell the disturbances.
除了外在的混乱以外， quell 也可以用来引申形容人内在的混乱，即“消除、缓解、减轻”某种强烈的或不快的感情，诸如害怕、愤怒等，比如：
- 他羞愧地打消了那个突然的念头。
He quelled the whim with shame. - 新闻部长正努力消除民众对一触即发的石油危机的恐惧。
The Information Minister is trying to quell fears of a looming oil crisis.
名著用例
There was a ripple of laughter, instantly quelled by the look Snape gave the class.
教室里发出一片笑声，但立刻被斯内普的眼色压了下去。
出自英国作家J.K.罗琳创作的长篇小说《哈利·波特与混血王子》（Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince）。该小说是《哈利·波特》系列的第六部。
同近义词
- subdue: bring (a country or people) under control by force
- suppress: forcibly put an end to
- repress: subdue (someone or something) by force
