| 释义 |
▪ I. settle, n.1|ˈsɛt(ə)l|
Forms: α. 1 setl, setel, setol, seotl, sotl, seatl, sitl (-el, -ol, -ul); 3 sættel, seotel, seotle, 3, 6, setle, 3–4 settel, 4 setill(e, setil(e, 5 setyl, 4– settle. β. 1 Northumb. seð(e)l, sedl, 5 north. sedylle; see also langsettle.
[OE. setl neut., pl. setlu (also, in Northumb., pl. setlas, seatlas, etc., as if masc.) corresponds to OHG. seȥȥal (MHG. seȥȥel, mod.G. sessel) masc., Goth. sitl-s masc.:—OTeut. *setlo-:—pre-Teut. *sedlo-, cogn. w. L. sella (:—*sedlā), f. Indogermanic root *sed-, OTeut. *set-: see sit v. The β forms, OE. (Anglian) seð(e)l, sedl, ME. -sedil, sedylle, mod. north. dial. -seddle, -saddle see langsettle), represent a WGer. variant *seþl (with the irregular variation in the articulation of the dentals sometimes found before l and m: see bottle n.1, bottom n.), which is found also in OFris. sedel, OS. sethal, sedal, sedel masc., OHG. sethal, sedal (MHG. sedel) neut., masc., whence MHG. sidelen (mod.G. siedeln) to settle in a place. Cf. the metathetic form seld n.
In Eng. the β type appears only in Anglian dialects (after the OE. period almost exclusively in the forms of langsettle), and does not show (as it does in OHG.) any differentiation in application from the α type.]
†1. A sitting place. Also transf. and fig., a ‘seat’, position, abode. Obs.
Beowulf 1782 (Gr.) Ga nu to setle. a900tr. Bæda's Hist. iii. xiv. [xvi.] (1890) 202 Ond mon mæᵹ ᵹen to dæᵹe þa stowe his seðles [orig. locum sedis ejus solitariæ] on þæm ilcan ealonde sceawian. c1000ælfric Ags. Bible (Gr.) 2/45 Þa næfde he nan setl, hwær he sittan mihte, for þan þe nan heofon nolde hine aberan. 13..Cursor M. 17872 (Gött.) Adam..wid patriark and wid prophete, In mirk settlis þar þai sete. a1340Hampole Psalter iv. 9, I sall rest in þe bed of endles blis & in þe setil of heuen. Ibid. Cant. 504 Þou did down ill gastis & vicys of þaire alde setile, þat þai hafe na powere in my saule.
†2. Something to sit upon; a chair, bench, stool, or the like. Obs.
c897K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. lvi. 435 Hit is swiðe ᵹewunelic ðætte domeras & rice menn on setelum sitten. c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxi. 12 Hyra setlu [c 975 Rushw. settlas] þara þe culfran sealdon he tobræc. a1250Owl & Night. 594 Among þe wede, among þe netle, Þu syttest & singst bihinde seotle. a1300Cursor M. 14734 Þair setles þat þai in can sete, He kest þam dun. 13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 882 A cheyer by-fore þe chemné..Was grayþed for sir Gawan..& he sete in þat settel semlych ryche. 1483Caxton Golden Leg. 226/2 He dyd do make a siege or a stole of yron..and after to sette fyre under it..but the siege or setyl malte like waxe. 1483Cath. Angl. 327/2 A Sedylle, sedile.
b. high settle (OE. héahsetl = OHG. hôhsedal): an elevated seat, a chair of dignity or state; a seat of honour at table; a throne, seat of judgement. Obs. exc. arch. after OE. use.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. John xix. 13 Fore þæm hehsedle [Vulg. pro tribunali]. c1000ælfric Hom. (Th.) I. 272 Se rica man ðe sitt on his heahsetle hraðe ᵹeswicþ he his ᵹebeorscipes ᵹif ðu þeowan ᵹeswicaþ ðæra teolunga. c1205Lay. 16646 Þa sat Agag þe king inne his hæh sættele. a1225Juliana 20 He lette bringen hire biuoren him to his heh seotel as he set in dome as reue. 1877Green Hist. Eng. People I. i. 16 The high settle of King or Ealdorman.
3. spec. A long wooden bench, usually with arms and a high back (often extending to the ground), and having a locker or box under the seat. Cf. langsettle.
1553Rec. St. Mary-at-Hill 53 Item, In y⊇ qvire ij settelles with lockars apece. 1590in Archæologia (1866) XL. 327 Itm. an olde standing bedsted wth a settle unto it. 1596Nashe Saffron Walden To Rdr., D, His Booke..I hauing kept idle by me in a by settle out of sight amongst old shooes and bootes almost this two yere. 1658tr. Ussher's Ann. 114 They rap and make a noise with their hands or mallets, upon the deskes or settles in their Synagogues. 1678Bunyan Pilgr. i. 47 Looking down under the Settle there he espied his Roll. 1700Dryden Ovid's Met. viii. Baucis & Phil. 44 The Man..A common Settle drew for either Guest, Inviting each his weary Limbs to rest. 1859Tennyson Geraint & Enid 579 And cast him..Down on an oaken settle in the hall. 1868Eastlake Hints Househ. Taste 145 The common wooden settle which forms so comfortable and snug-looking a seat by rustic hearths.
b. A bench or seat in a boat (see quot.).
1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Settle, now termed the stern-sheets.
4. A ledge, raised platform.
†a. In the Bible, used to render Heb. ﻋăzārāh (Vulg. crepido), app. either of two platforms or stages, surrounding the great altar, the one on a level with its base, and the other between this and the ground. Obs.
1611Bible Ezek. xliii. 14 And from the bottom vpon the ground, euen to the lower settle [R.V. or ledge], shalbe two cubits,..and from the lesser settle euen to the greater settle shalbe foure cubites. Ibid. 17. Ibid. xlv. 19.
b. (a) = settle-gang (b): see 6. (b) See quot. 1833.
1799J. Robertson Agric. Perth 183 For this purpose, I have seen the settles of the byre (cow-house) sometimes floored. 1833Loudon Encycl. Archit. §1206 The settles (gutters) for carrying off the urine.
c. (See quots.)
1695Kennett Par. Antiq. s.v. Cart-Sadel, The frame of wood to support the barrels in a buttery or cellar, is call'd the Seddle and Settle. 1881Isle of Wight Gloss., Settle,..a foundation, usually raised, for a rick. 1886Chesh. Gloss., Settle, any bench or frame for supporting heavy weights. Thus a barrel of beer might be said to be stillaged ‘on a stone settle’.
5. Firework Manuf. A projection on the upper surface of the block used in filling tourbillon cases; it fits into the end of the case and forms a base for the composition during the process of filling.
1873Spon Workshop Rec. Ser. i. 135/2 Tourbillon cases are filled by means of an apparatus which consists of a block of wood, provided with a settle, on which one end of the tourbillon case is placed... The settle projects into the case about 1/8 of an inch. 1888W. H. Browne Firework Making xx. 144 To fill the piece..fit the end on to the settle, and see that it stands perfectly upright.
6. attrib. and Comb., as settle-back; settle bed, a settle adapted for alternative use as a seat or bed; † settle-bench, -chair = sense 3 above; settle-gang, † (a) the setting (of the sun); (b) dial., ‘the raised part of a cow-house on which the animals lie’ (Eng. Dial. Dict.).
1900H. Sutcliffe Shameless Wayne vii. (1905) 97 Reaching across the *settle-back.
1641in Burlington Mag. Mar. (1912) 342/2 A *settle bed of wanscote in Fashion of a Fourme, wherein is a Fetherbed. 1781C. Johnston Hist. J. Juniper I. 8 A settle-bed, which served the double purpose of being sat upon, and slept in. 1818Scott Hrt. Midl. xix, His eyes involuntarily rested upon the little settle-bed.
1741Richardson Pamela (1824) I. 67 Sitting down upon a *settle⁓bench.
1688Holme Armoury iii. xiv. (Roxb.) 14/2 Some terme it a *settle chaire, being so weighty that it cannot be moued from place to place.., haueing a kind of box or cubbert in the seate of it.
c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) xlix. 2 Fram sunnan up-gange, oð hire *setl-gang. a1300E.E. Psalter xlix. 1 Fra sonne springe to setelgange.
▪ II. settle, n.2 Obs. exc. Sc. rare.|ˈsɛt(ə)l|
[f. settle v.]
The action of the verb settle; settling, settlement. to take settle: to be settled, to be at ease.
a1660Contemp. Hist. Irel. (Ir. Archæol. Soc.) II. 24 Castlhaven did continue in Mariborough 9 or 10 daies givinge orders for the settle therof. Ibid. 166 For the settle of his freinds. 1822Ainslie Pilgr. Land of Burns 39 Frae the settle o' the night To the income o' the light. 1889Barrie Window in Thrums 153 I'll tak no settle till ye're awa.
▪ III. settle, v.|ˈsɛt(ə)l|
Forms: α. 1 setlan, 3–7 setle, 4, 6–7 settell, seatle, settill, (4 sedle, setel, 5 setelle, setyll), 3– settle. β. 4–6 satle, (4 satille), 5–6 sattyl, -yll, (5 sattil), 6 satell, sat(t)ill, 4–7 sattell, 5–7, 9 dial. sattle.
[OE. setlan (only once), f. setl seat, place of rest: see settle n.1 Cf. mod.Du. zetelen, to place, settle. The β forms seem to represent another formation from the same Teut. root; ? OE. *sætlan:—prehistoric *satuljan f. *sat-, ablaut variant of set-: see sit v.
In some uses the vb. became synonymous with the like-sounding ME. saȝtle to appease, reconcile (saughtel v.), association with which may perhaps have influenced the development of these uses.
In many of the senses explained below, the verb frequently appears with a colouring derived from senses of different origin, so that the position of many of the examples is open to dispute.]
I. To seat, place.
The examples here treated as passive uses of senses in this branch mostly admit of being interpreted as intransitive uses (branch II) conjugated with be.
†1.
a. trans. To seat; to put in a seat or place of rest; also, to cause to sit down. Obs.
c1000Whale 15 (Gr.) Wæᵹliþende..setlaþ sæmearas [= ‘stable their sea-horses’] sundes æt ende. c1200Ormin 14049 Þatt hæfedd mann þatt heȝhesst wass Att tatt bridale settledd. a1300Cursor M. 23340 Bot suld þai [sc. the righteous] haf a gret delite, To se þam [sc. the wicked] setlid [MS. seclid] in þair site. 1561T. Hoby tr. Castiglione's Courtyer i. K ij b, And assone as he had saluted the Dutchesse, and setled the reste that were risen vp at his comminge, he satte hym downe. 1632J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 129, I kept my selfe setled on the plancke till the morning. 1663Wood Life 24 Sept. (O.H.S.) I. 495 After they were setled in their chaires under the canopy. 1691–2Ibid. 26 Jan. III. 381 A meeting in the Apoditerium before the vice-chancellor, Doctors, and Masters setled in the house.
†b. fig. in pass.: To be ‘seated’, situated.
a1400–50Wars Alex. 4429 For all ȝoure wisdom, I-wis, is wroken to ȝour tongis, And all þe sauour of ȝoure sauls is sattild in ȝour mouthis.
2. a. To place (material things) in order, or in a convenient or desired position; to adjust (e.g. one's clothing).
1515Barclay Eclogues iii. (1570) B vj/2 Or els must he rise and walke him selfe a space, Till time his ioyntes be setled in their place. 1582Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 66, I twisted a wallet On my broad shoulders, my nape did I settle eke vnder. 15..Sir Andrew Barton xliv. in Child Ballads (1889) III. 341/1 With that hee lett his gun-shott goe; Soe well hee settled itt with his eye, The ffirst sight that Sir Andrew sawe, Hee see his pinnace sunke in the sea. c1650in Gutch Hist. & Antiq. Univ. Oxford (1796) II. 943 note, That they [sc. Selden's books] bee placed..in the new built west end of the publique Library,..with such inscription upon the place where they shall bee soe settled as the said Executors..shall directe. 1709Steele Tatler No. 48 ⁋4 He adjusted the cock of his hat a-new, settled his sword⁓knot. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 69 Having settled my houshold Stuff and Habitation. 1784Cowper Task iii. 486 Th' uplifted frame..He settles next upon the sloping mount. 1796C. Marshall Garden. xiv. (1813) 196 Thus having settled the plants, shut the lights close. 1815Scott Guy M. xxxvi, He washed his face and hands, settled his wig in the glass. 1818― Hrt. Midl. i, They immediately began to settle their clothes, which were a little deranged. 1861Trollope Orley F. I. xxxiii. 264 I'll come for the answer when you're settling the room after breakfast tomorrow. 1866G. Macdonald Ann. Q. Neighb. I. vii. 192 As I was settling her pillow for her. 1894Crockett Raiders xi, May Maxwell settled her shawl closer about her.
†b. To dispose in order (an argument, the parts of a discourse). Obs.
1551T. Wilson Logic G vj, Now..I will declare howe to seatle & place an argumente, that any bodie may geue a reason, why euery worde is set in an argument, in this, or that place. 1553― Rhet. (1580) 159, I thinke meete to speake of framyng, and placyng an Oration in order, that the matter beeyng aptly seteld and couched together: might better please the hearers.
3. a. To place (a person) in an attitude of repose, so as to be undisturbed for a time. Chiefly refl. to dispose oneself comfortably, adjust one's position on a chair, etc. with the intention of remaining seated.
1515Barclay Eclogues iii. (1570) B vj b/1 Neuer shalt thou knowe thy lodging or thy nest, Till all thy betters be setled and at rest. 1546J. Heywood Prov. i. x. (1562) L j b, In no place could she sit hir selfe to settle. 1627Drayton Nimphidia 516 Yet scarce he on his back could get, So oft and high he did coruet, Ere he himselfe could settle. 1712Hearne Collect. (O.H.S.) III. 381 They soon came away and settled themselves at the East part of the Library. 1781Cowper Ep. Lady Austen 39 Thus we were settled when you found us, Peasants and children all around us. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair lxi, When her patient above was settled for the night. 1893‘Q’ Delect. Duchy 16 The man..settled her comfortably in the stern-sheets. 1901W. S. Walker In the Blood vi. 71 You were asleep like a child almost as soon as you were settled. 1905R. Bagot Passport ii. 12 Settling himself in his saddle, Sor Beppe started off at an easy canter.
b. In pass. To be installed in a residence, to have completed one's arrangements for residing. Also, rarely, in active: to install (someone) in a residence.
c1643Ld. Herbert Autobiog. (1824) 185, I was but newly settled in my Lodging. 1722De Foe Plague (1840) 130 Why should we make you remove now you are settled in your lodging? 1782F. Burney Cecilia vi. i, Such was the house in which Cecilia was now settled. 1813W. Bingley in Lady Morgan's Mem. (1862) II. 31 You, I presume, are by this time comfortably settled in your new residence. 1837Lever H. Lorrequer i, We were soon settled in barracks. 1853Geo. Eliot Lett. (1954) II. 97 What do you think of my going to Australia with Chrissey and all her family?—to settle them, and then come back. 1901W. S. Walker In the Blood viii. 97 Billy's sisters..were at length settled in a small cottage out Redfern way.
4. a. To cause to take up one's residence in a place; esp. to establish (a body of persons) as residents in a town or country; to plant (a colony, † a town).
1573–80Tusser Husb. (1878) 198 So God I trust for Christes sake, Shall settle me in blis. 1582Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 17 Ere towne could statelye be builded, Or Gods theare setled. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, i. ii. 47 Charles the Great..There left behind and settled certaine French. 1667Milton P.L. iv. 940 My afflicted Powers To settle here on Earth. 1670Denton Brief Descr. N. York (1845) 1 Part of the Main Land belonging to New York Colony, where several Towns and Villages are setled. a1700Evelyn Diary 4 Jan. 1665, I went..to settle physitians, chirurgeons, agents, marshals and other officers in all the Sea Ports. 1797Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) V. 149/1 The practice of settling commercial colonies in distant countries hath been adopted by the wisest nations of antiquity. 1830M. T. Sadler Law Popul. I. 483 Maryland..was first settled by Roman Catholics. 1831Scott Ct. Rob. xxxiii, What interest I have..shall be strained to the uttermost to settle thee in thine own beloved native country. 1845Encycl. Metrop. XIV. 392/1 The first town that was settled by the English in North America.
b. refl. Also in pass., to have taken up one's abode.
1550Bale Eng. Votaries ii. C j b, The Romysh clergy satled them selues all the worlde ouer. 1572Act 14 Eliz. c. 5 §16 That the said aged ympotent and poore People should have convenient Habitacions and Abydinge Places throughout this Realme to settle themselves uppon. c1610Women Saints 22 She went to Bethleem,..where she settled her self. 1686tr. Chardin's Trav. Persia 30 That the Grand Signior should not entertain..any European Nation, except what were already setl'd there, but under the French Banners. 1711Addison Spect. No. 12 ⁋1 It was some time before I could settle my self in a House to my likeing. 1738Whitehall Even. Post 12–15 Aug. 3/2 This is to give Notice, That Mr. Isaac De Vic, Jun., Wine-Merchant, of Southampton, is settled in this City. 1780Harris Philol. Enq. (1841) 470 He induced..many of the first families in Italy..to leave their country, and there settle themselves. 1827O. W. Roberts Voy. Centr. Amer. 45 One of the rivers on which they are settled has its source in a kind of lake. 1853J. H. Newman Hist. Sk. (1876) I. i. ii. 52 A tribe of them..settled themselves between the high Tartar land and the sea of Aral.
c. To fix or establish permanently (one's abode, residence, etc.). † to settle one's rest: to take up one's residence. (Cf. to set up one's rest, rest n.2 7 f; and see rest n.1 5.)
1562J. Hopkins Ps. lxxxiv, Much rather would I keepe a dore within the house of God: Then in the tentes of wickednes, to settle myne abode. 1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts, Isa. xi. 10 And he shall settle his rest among them, which shall be glorious for himselfe, and happy for them. 1678J. Godolphin Repert. Canon. (1680) 17 St. Augustine..took on him the Title of Archbishop of England, settling his See at Canterbury. 1727Boyer Fr. Dict., To settle one's Abode somewhere. 1823Scott Quentin D. Introd., The town at which I had settled my temporary establishment.
d. To assign to (a person) a legal domicile in a particular parish. Chiefly in pass. Cf. settlement 3.
1572Act 14 Eliz. c. 5. §16 Then the said Justices..shall..settle the same poore People for their Habitacions and Abydynges, yf the parishe within the whiche they shalbee founde shall not..provide for them. 1662Act 14 Chas. II, c. 12 §1 To such Parish where he or they were last legally setled either as a native Householder Sojourner Apprentice or Servant for the space of forty dayes. 1773Observ. State Poor 77 Children whose parents settlements cannot be discovered and illegitimate children, are all settled wherever they are born. 1814Maule & Selwyn K.B. Rep. I. 380 If the pauper lived 40 days under that assignment we should hold him settled in the parish.
e. To furnish (a place) with inhabitants or settlers.
1702Propos. Effectual War in Amer. 18 The..setling and fortifying that large Island of Newfoundland. 1768J. Byron Narr. Patagonia (ed. 2) 112 The country hereabouts..is so circumstanced as to discourage the most sanguine adventurers from attempts to settle it. 1823Cobbett Rur. Rides (1885) I. 321 Margate..is so thickly settled with stock-jobbing cuckolds at this time of year, that [etc.]. 1855Kingsley Westw. Ho! xiii, Your..brother, sir, is better bestowed than in settling Newfoundland.
† f. To establish, set up (an institution, a business, etc.) in a particular town or country. Obs.
1582N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. i. xxx. 75 He was come thether..to settle a trade in y⊇ citie. 1624in Foster Eng. Factories India (1909) III. 16 Hee should have a howse and there to settell a factorye in his towne of Pullasera. 1645J. Dury Israel's Call (1646) 48 Next unto the Schooles of the Prophets (whereof besides the Universities, it were to be wisht that some lesser ones might be setled in every Province). 1687A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. ii. 157 This might be made one of the richest Cities in the World, because of the commerce that might be settled there. 1705De Foe Consolidator Wks. 1840 IX. 354 They..settled a sub-cash, depending upon the grand bank, in every province of the kingdom. 1773Life N. Frowde 6 Having by his frequent Voyages settled a good Correspondence on the Continent.
g. U.S. slang. To sentence (a person) to imprisonment, put in prison.
1899‘J. Flynt’ Tramping with Tramps 396 Settled, in prison. 1914Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Slang 75 Settled,..convicted of misdemeanor or statutory offence. Example: ‘He's settled for a two spot.’ 1916Literary Digest 19 Aug. 425/1 Foley was ‘pinched’ and ‘settled’ in San Quentin. 1930Amer. Mercury Dec. 457/2 He goes to the counter and gets settled for a nickel. 1955D. W. Maurer in Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. xxiv. 151 Maybe he will get settled, or sent to prison; among pick⁓pockets this term does not carry the implication of a long sentence or a life-term..; it usually means two years.
†5. To fix, implant (something) in (a person's heart, mind, etc.). Obs.
1560Ingelend Disob. Child G ij, All such sayinges as in my mynde At the fyrst tyme ye studied to sattell. 1579Lodge Def. Poetry 6 Witt hath wrought that in you, that yeares and studie neuer setled in the heads of our sagest doctors. 1607Shakes. Timon v. i. 54 What a Gods Gold..? 'Tis thou that Setlest admired reuerence in a Slaue. 1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. i. ix. 37 [Poets' inventions] setling impressions in our tender memories, which our advanced judgements, doe generally neglect to expunge. 1690Locke Hum. Und. iv. vii. §11 Before Custom has setled Methods of Thinking and Reasoning in our Minds.
†6. To set firmly on a foundation; to fix (a foundation) securely. lit. and fig. Obs.
1560Bible (Geneva) Prov. viii. 25 Before the mountaines were setled.. was I begotten. 1583H. Howard Def. Pois. Supposed Prophesies A j b, The higher any man will rayse his toppe, the lower must he settell hys foundation. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. xii. 1 That goodly frame of Temperaunce..Formerly grounded and fast setteled On firme foundation of true bountyhed. 1604E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies vi. xiv. 461 The water is so deep as they can not settle any foundation. 1666Stillingfl. Serm. (1673) 21 That the glory of the City may not be laid upon the tears of the Orphans and Widows, but that its foundations may be setled upon Justice and Piety.
II. To come to rest after flight or wandering.
†7. intr. To take a seat, sit down (? OE.). Of the sun: To set. Obs.
[c1000Lambeth Ps. cxxxviii. 2, Sax. Leechd. III. 266. [? Implied in] setlung, [sitting down, setting (of the sun)] ]c1350Will. Palerne 2452 Till þe semli sunne was setled to reste.
8. a. Of a bird, flying insect: To take up a position of rest from flight; to alight on something.
13..K. Alis. 484 Him thoughte a goshauk with gret flyght Setlith on his beryng [MS. Bodl. settleþ on his herbergeynge]. Ibid. 488 A dragon out of his den flygth..And setled [MS. Bodl. settleþ]..On the stude there the quene was. 1728Congress of Bees in Arbuthnot's Misc. Wks. (1751) II. 135 The Bees..all settled. 1791Cowper Yardley Oak 91 Time was, when, settling on thy leaf, a fly Could shake thee to the root. 1845J. Coulter Adv. in Pacific iii. 29, I have often seen flocks of snipe..settling to the left of the town. 1859Tennyson Merlin & V. 221 The gnat That settles, beaten back, and beaten back Settles. 1875Encycl. Brit. I. 260/1 The common blue fly which settles on meat.
fig.1601Shakes. All's Well iii. i. 21 All the honors that can flye from vs, Shall on them settle. 1611― Wint. T. iv. iii. 106 This man..(hauing flowne ouer many knauish professions) he setled onely in Rogue. 1781Cowper Retirem. 672 A mind..after poising her advent'rous wings, Settling at last upon eternal things. 1842Tennyson Gardener's Dau. 220 We coursed about The subject most at heart, more near and near, Like doves about a dovecote, wheeling round The central wish, until we settled there.
b. Of things, esp. flying or floating objects, also transf. and fig. of darkness, silence, etc.: To come down and remain.
13..E.E. Allit. P. C. 409 Muche sorȝe þenne satteled vpon segge Ionas. c1380Sir Ferumb. 3281 Þat fyr þat setlede so on þe walle ȝerne hit gan to brenne. 1715Pope Iliad iv. 527 Shades eternal settle o'er his eyes. 1779Mirror No. 50 ⁋4 A deep gloom settled on his spirits. 1802M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. 232 The dust which had settled on the white figures. 1810Scott Lady of L. i. iii, And silence settled, wide and still, On the lone wood. 1829Chapters Phys. Sci. 239 The dog had inhaled the noxious air which, sinking to the bottom, had settled there. 1864E. Yates Broken to Harness I. xv. 271 You find..a yellow fog settling down. 1866G. MacDonald Ann. Q. Neighb. III. ix. 208 Suddenly from out of the dark a hand settled on my arm. 1890R. Bridges Shorter Poems iii. ii. 3 The snow came flying..Stealthily and perpetually settling and loosely lying.
9. To come together from dispersion or wandering.
†a. Of a body of persons: To direct their course to a common point. Obs.
a1400Morte Arth. 2465 Thane the price mene prekes, and proues þeire horsez, Satilles to þe cete, appone sere halfes.
b. Hunting. Of hounds: To keep steadily to the scent.
1781Beckford Th. Hunting xiv. 185 By this time his hounds get together, and settle to the scent. 1827[Apperley] Chace (1852) 44 The scent being good, every hound settles to his fox. 1885Field 7 Feb. 148/2 The music of the pack as they settled to the line. 1897Encycl. Sport I. 551/2 Hounds settle like bees upon the line.
10. a. Of things: To lodge, come to rest, in a definite place after wandering.
1622Venner Via Recta (ed. 2) 190 Those crude and superfluous humors..fluctuating from part to part, doe at length settle and produce morbificall affects. a1634Chapman Revenge for Hon. v. i, Where like a fixt Star 't [sc. love's flame] settles, never to be removed thence. 1660Stanley Hist. Philos. xi. ix. §6 (1687) 764/2 The Earth at first wandred up and down..; but in time growing thick and heavy, it setled down immoveable. 1682Creech Lucretius vi. 202 The Earth..Inclining only from its usual Plain, Then turns, and settles in its seat again. 1829Scott Anne of G. ii, Down went the huge fragment,..settling at length in the channel of the torrent.
b. Of pain or disease: To establish itself in or on a definite part of the body.
1594Kyd Cornelia iii. i. 99 And suddainly..A chyl-cold shyuering (setled in my vaines) Brake vp my slumber. 1768Earl Carlisle in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1843) II. 301 A cold which chose to settle in my eyes. 1856J. Kavanagh Rachel Gray xvii, A cough settled on her chest. 1877Five Yrs. Penal Serv. i. 26 Poor A. caught a cold he never recovered from; it settled on his lungs.
c. Of the wind: To become ‘set’ in (at, into) a specified quarter.
1626Bacon New Atl. 1 But then the Winde came about, and setled in the West for many dayes. 1628Digby Voy. Mediterr. (1868) 75 It continued all day verie foule weather..: in the end it settled a stiffe gale at N.W. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 40 [The hurricane] came about to the North-West, and then settled into the North-East. 1773Life N. Frowde 140 A..Storm.. which in the space of forty-eight Hours varied to every Point of the Compass, and at length, settled in the East by North.
d. Of affections, etc.: To come after wandering to, become fixed on an object.
1628Feltham Resolves i. xxx. 95 Finding my affections settle to them [sc. the world's choicest solaces] without resistance, I cannot but distrust my selfe. 1639S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 16 Friendship is not idle where it settles, it presently falls to worke. 1714Spect. No. 605 ⁋6 When Time hath worn out their natural Vanity, and taught them Discretion, their Fondness settles on its proper Object. 1884Manch. Exam. 17 May 4/7 The interest..which led to the inquiry too often evaporates or settles on some new object before it is finished.
11. a. Of persons: To cease from migration and adopt a fixed abode; to establish a permanent residence, take up one's abode, become domiciled; also with down. With in, to become established in a new home; hence, to become accustomed to a new abode or to new surroundings.
1627Earl of Manchester in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 267, I hope to be settling at Kimolton for a while. 1685Wood Life 1 Sept. (O.H.S.) III. 158 He setled for a time in Shropshire. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 1 My Father being a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull. 1779Lady A. Howard in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) IV. 235, I..go into Hertfordshire on Sunday. When I come to settle, I hope, Mr. Selwyn, you will do me the favour to call upon me. 1874Green Short Hist. i. §3. 25 If trouble befell the Christian preachers who came settling among them. 1891Law Times XCII. 127/2 Riley had left his father's house..for America, where he intended to settle down. 1904D. P. Hughes Life H. P. Hughes i. 6 When he finished his wanderings as a Methodist preacher..and settled in Carmarthen as a supernumerary. 1929Star 21 Aug. 15/1 The Jellicoes..are ‘settling in’ at their new London home this autumn. 1951M. McLuhan Mech. Bride (1967) 67/2 It will want to ‘settle in’ and enjoy the sense of belonging in America. 1960J. Stroud Shorn Lamb xiii. 151 He'll settle in, I feel sure. It'll be a long job though. 1977‘A. York’ Tallant for Trouble iii. 48 We met the Brices after we came. We threw a party, to settle in, and the Brices were top of the list.
b. Of a people: To take up its abode in a foreign country. Also, to establish a colony.
a1682Sir T. Browne Tracts (1683) 138 The Saxons settling over all England, maintained an uniform Language. 1700Evelyn Diary 4 Feb., The Parliament voted against the Scots settling in Darien. 1726G. Shelvocke Voy. round World 358 They are secure from the attempt of any European nation to settle on them. 1872Freeman Europ. Hist. xiii. §28 (1874) 277 So men tried to get more freedom by settling in distant lands. Thus the French Huguenots tried to settle in America.
indirect passive.1845J. Coulter Adv. in Pacific xi. 147 The greatest surprise I experienced was, that they [these islands] were not colonized and settled upon long before this.
12. = to settle oneself (sense 3). Sometimes of birds, etc. with mixture of sense 8. to settle in: to dispose oneself for remaining indoors.
1818Scott Rob Roy xvii, The little irritable citizens [sc. bees], who were settling in their straw-thatched mansion for the evening. 1827–35Willis Idleness 55 When..the birds settle to their nests. 1833Lady Morgan Mem. (1862) II. 377 On my return, settled in to write. 1859Tennyson Geraint 250 Like a clamour of the rooks At distance, ere they settle for the night. 1864E. Yates Broken to Harness I. xv. 272 The inhabitants of the neighbouring houses had pulled their blinds down and settled in for the night. 1865Kingsley Herew. xlii, The clang of the wild-fowl settling down to rest. 1902‘M. Fairless’ Roadmender 24 The child..extracted from the basket a small black cat, and settled in for the afternoon.
III. To descend, sink down; to lower. [From sense 8.]
13. a. To sink down gradually by or as by its own weight. Of the ground: To subside. Of a structure or part of a structure: To sink downwards from its proper level.
c1315Shoreham Poems i. 758 Ase oþer mete In to þy wombe hyȝt sedlyþ. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8186 Þen schok þe ground [v.r. þe grounde satled]. c1440York Myst. xxxiii. 248 Whan it [sc. a standard] sattles or sadly discendis. c1440Promp. Parv. 440/2 Saggyn, or sallyn [? read satlyn] (P. satelyn), basso. 1545R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 131 For with shoting it [sc. the feather] wyll sattle and faule very moche. 1576Lambarde Peramb. Kent 287 Y⊇ very earth..did continually, for euer after, setle and sinke downeward. a1597Peele David & Bethsabe ii. iii. (1599) E j b, As doth the daylight settle in the west. 1601[see sag v. 1]. 1693Moxon Mech. Exerc. (1703) 256 These Arches..must be made of Bricks and Morter that are very good,..that they do neither settle nor give way. 1751C. Labelye Westm. Bridge 76 The..Pier..was observed to settle. 1791W. Hutchinson Treat. Pract. Seamanship 15 Which caused their..floors to sag downwards, so much as to make their hold stanchions amidships..settle from the beams. 1868Rep. U.S. Commissioner Agric. (1869) 251 The single-row fence..must sag and settle toward the ground, if pleached without staking. 1898Watts-Dunton Aylwin i. i, The débris..again falling and settling into new and permanent shapes. Ibid., A great mass of loose earth settled, carrying me with it in its fall.
†b. fig. Of feeling, conviction: To sink deeply into (the mind, heart). Obs.
a1300Cursor M. 24225 And al þe baret þat he bar, It setteld [Gött. satlid] in þi hert ful sare. 1513More in Grafton Chron. (1568) II. 814 This olde adage so sanke, and setled in my heade, that [etc.]. 1525St. Papers Hen. VIII, IV. 361 And nowe the said newes doe satell and synke into the Scottes myndes. 1574Dee in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 35 Onely God can make the perswasion of the truth hereof to settel into the bottom of your Lordships hart.
†c. ? transf. Of troops: To fall back, yield ground, retire. Also trans. (causatively). Sc. Obs.
1513Douglas æneis ix. xiii. 28 Turnus a lityl..Begouth frawart the bargane to withdraw, And sattyl towartis the ryveris syde alaw. 1535Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) III. 429 So cruell counter..Quhilk satlit hes the Sutheroun far abak Beȝond the place quhair that tha first began. a1578Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 97 Ane companie of fresche men..come so fercelie wpoun the Earle of Huntlieis wangaird quhill they war compellit to satill a littill abak. Ibid. 275 Thay causit the inglismen to sattill frome thame.
†14. trans. (causatively).
a. To lower in condition; to reduce in degree. Obs. rare.
1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 225 Þis legate Ottobone mad a cursyng hard..& som of þer heyres..it peyres, & som has satled sore. c1350Will. Palerne 4562 Þe comli quen of palerne oft crist þonked, Þat..hade setteled hire sorwe so sone, þat was huge.
b. To lower (a commodity, rent) in price or value. Also intr., to go down in price. dial.
1812in W. Cudworth Round abt. Bradford (1876) 412 Mr. Joseph Dawson settled his coals at Wrose Pit from sevenpence to sixpence a load. 1868Atkinson Cleveland Gloss. s.v., Corn's sattled a vast sen last market. Ah's quit at May-day gin he weeant sattle me [i.e. reduce my rent] a bit. 1886W. Somerset Word-bk. s.v., Arter all this dry weather, an no keep, stock's bound to settle.
†c. To put down to the original place. (Cf. 2.)
1731Miller Gard. Dict., s.v. Cucumis, If you find your bed too hot, it is but raising up the Baskets..and when the violent Heat is over, they may be settled down again.
15. Naut.
a. intr. Of a ship: To sink gradually; also with down.
1819Byron Juan ii. xliv, The ship was evidently settling now Fast by the head. 1836Uncle Philip's Convers. Whale Fishery 289 The ship began to settle down in the water.
transf.1818Scott Hrt. Midl. i, The ancient vehicle used to settle quietly down, like a ship scuttled and left to sink. 1840F. D. Bennett Narr. Whaling Voy. II. App. 174 The whale will occasionally sink in the horizontal position, or, as it is technically expressed, ‘settle down’. 1873–5Henley In Hospital xiii. Bk. Verses (1888) 22 Raised, he settled stiffly sideways: You could see the hurts were spinal.
b. trans. To diminish the height of, to reduce to a lower level (a deck, topsail). † Also, to cause (the land) to appear lower in the water by receding from it (cf. lay v.1 5).
a1625Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. MS. 2301) To Setle a Deck. 1626Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 28 We shall haue wind, sattle your top sailes. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. ii. 17 Settle our fore and main Top-sails two thirds of the Mast down. 1704J. Harris Lex. Techn. I, Settle a Deck, is the Word at Sea for taking a Deck lower than it was at first. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), Settled, lowered in the water; as, we have settled the land, or sunk it lower, by sailing further out to seaward. This phrase is usually opposed to raising. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., To settle, to lower;..as..‘we settled the land’. ‘Settle the main topsail halliards’, i.e. ease them off a little, so as to lower the yard.
16. a. intr. Of soil, loosely compacted materials: To subside into a solid mass. Of new masonry or brickwork: To become consolidated by its own weight and drying of the mortar.
1560Ingelend Disob. Child F j, I wyll make thy skyn to rattell, And the braynes in thy Scull more depely to sattell. 1618W. Lawson New Orch. & Garden vii. (1623) 20, I shake the Set easily to and fro, to make the earth settle the better to his roots. 1664Gerbier Counsel ii. 27 See the Morter well tempered, since if unequall in thicknesse; that which is thin, will cause the work to settle more in one place then in the other. 1791Mawe & Abercrombie Every Man his own Gardener 157 Shaking the plant gently as the earth is filled in, to cause it to settle close between all the roots and fibres. 1800Wellington in Gurw. Desp. (1837) I. 60 The people cannot build more than about a foot and a half in a day which must be allowed to dry and settle for three or four days. 1828–32Webster, Settle, to sink after being heaved, and to dry; as, roads settle in spring after frost and rain. 1886W. Somerset Word-bk. s.v., 'Tis a maain gurt heap, but he on't look so big arter he've a settled a bit.
b. To shrink in size. dial. (? obs.) and techn.
1641Best Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 12 When sheepe are first putte out of the closes into the field, they will sattle and goe backe extreamely for the space of a weeke. 1889C. T. Davis Bricks v. 139 The bricks are now ready to shrink, or as it is termed in burning, to ‘settle’.
c. trans. To cause to subside into a solid mass; to consolidate, compact. Also with down, home.
1611Bible Ps. lxv. 10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrowes thereof. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. xii. 68 With the Rammer give two or three strokes more to settle it home. 1673Ray Journ. Low C. 123 Mud or Clay..which in tract of Time hath been setled together and hardned. 1706E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 75 A short Breakfast upon the Crumbs of Comfort well settl'd down with a humming Stroke at the Brandy-Bottle. 1712J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 106 The Earth should be trod upon to settle it. 1751C. Labelye Westm. Bridge 91 They are all built..and both the Abutments of the Bridge compleated and settled. 1791Mawe & Abercrombie Ev. Man his own Gardener 157 If they are watered as soon as planted, it will settle the earth about all the roots. 1828–32Webster, Settle, to cause to subside after being heaved and loosened by frost; or to dry and harden after rain. Thus clear weather settles the roads. 1845Florist's Jrnl. 33 Then give the whole a good watering to settle the soil.
IV. To come or bring to rest after agitation.
17. a. intr. Of a liquid: To become still after agitation or fermentation, so that the suspended particles or impurities are separated as scum or sediment. Also in figurative context.
c1467Noble Bk. Cookry (1882) 101 Sye it throughe a clothe and let yt stond and setelle. 1471Ripley Comp. Alch. v. x. in Ashm. (1652) 150 For they together lyke lyquyd Pyche that tyde, Shall swell and burbyll, setyll, and Putrefye. 1530Palsgr. 698/1 And so for wyne, or ale, or any thynge that fyrst swelleth and afterwarde sattylleth. 1560Bible (Geneva) Jer. xlviii. 11 Moab..hathe setled on his lees, & hathe not bene powred from vessel to vessel. a1634Chapman Trag. Chabot i. i. 197 And not be like a dull and standing lake, That settles, putrefies, and chokes with mud. 1758Reid tr. Macquer's Chym. I. 298 If you let the turbid water settle, and distill the sediment. 1799G. Smith Laboratory I. 290 Pour the ingredients of the three glasses into one, stop them up, and let them settle. 1857Miller Elem. Chem., Org. 361 The mixture is left to settle. 1866Lowell Study Wind., Swinburne's Trag., Goethe, in whose capacious nature..the spiritual fermentation of the eighteenth century settled and clarified.
b. trans. To cause (liquor) to deposit dregs or work off impurities; to clarify.
1599Sir J. Davies Nosce Teipsum Introd. xl, So working seas settle and purge the wine. 1883Harper's Mag. Mar. 578/1 Should the coffee be settled with an egg or with fish-skin?
c. Soap-making. To refine or purify (soap) by fusing in water or weak lye.
1906L. L. Lamborn Manuf. Soap ix. 343 Soap to be filled with soda-ash solution..may be settled finer or thinner; i.e., more heavily hydrated than the various kinds of soaps just mentioned.
18. a. intr. Of suspended particles or impurities in a liquid: To come to rest after agitation or disturbance; to collect as scum or sediment by gravitation; now chiefly (with mixture of sense 13), to sink to the bottom as sediment. Also to settle out. Also fig.
c1420Pallad. on Husb. xii. 480 Whanne her dregges sattled doun beth go. c1425tr. Arderne's Fistula etc. 59 Poudry resolucions which..ar..putte out with þe vryne. And for þai ar heuy and erþi þai satle in þe grounde. 1626Bacon Sylva §14 The Wine setling in the top..and the Water descending & setling in the bottome. 1630R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. 14 The melancholike [humours]..remaine, and as dregges settle at the base of all their actions. 1634Milton Comus 595 But evil..shall..mix no more with goodness, when at last Gather'd like scum, and setl'd to it self It shall [etc.]. 1678Moxon Mech. Exerc. vi. 102 Especially if the Small Beer chance to be new, and its Yest not well settled from it. 1695Woodward Nat. Hist. Earth ii. 75 That which had the least Gravity sinking not down till last of all, settling at the Surface of the Sediment. 1860Maury Phys. Geog. Sea (Low) xiv. §587. 326 When they die their shells settle to the bottom. 1883Haldane Workshop Rec. Ser. ii. 302/2 The liquor is kept..in a fluid condition, to allow mechanical impurities to settle out.
b. Of food or a meal: to be digested.
1944L. P. Hartley Shrimp & Anemone iv. 44 What about these toboggans? We've given our tea time to settle.
19. a. Of passion: To subside, calm down. Of the brain, mind, etc.: To become calm or composed.
1591Savile Tacitus, Hist. ii. xv. 61 The feare, which at first is most terrible, settling by litle and litle. 1611Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 482 Then till the fury of his Highnesse settle Come not before him. 1680Dryden Span. Friar ii. i, Your fury then boil'd upward to a foam; But since this message came, you sink and settle, As if cold water had been pour'd on you. 1693Prior ‘While blooming Youth’ 28 The Heat, with which thy Lover glows, Will settle into cold Respect. 1779Johnson Let. Mrs. Thrale 28 Oct., I dined on Tuesday with *** and hope her little head begins to settle. 1818Scott Hrt. Midl. xvi, Better let her mind settle a little. 1823― Quentin D. xxviii, Risks which raise a man's blood so, that, by Saint Andrew, it will not settle for an hour or two.
b. Of persons: To become composed; to compose oneself to sleep; to come to a quiet or orderly state after excitement or restless activity. Also with down, and spec. of an infant or a child.
a1578Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 111 He waxit irefull aganis all consperatouris bot zeit wald settill of his ire sa sune as they became penitent of thair offences and cryme. 1784Cowper Task vi. 69, I again perceive The soothing influence of the wafted strains, And settle in soft musings as I tread The walk. 1848Dickens Dombey xxxi, It is impossible to settle down after this, and why not go, in a party, to the play? 1896Bodkin Ld. Edw. Fitzgerald xiii, Maurice Blake was too excited..to settle at once to sleep. 1972P. D. James Unsuitable Job iii. 88 The Webbers couldn't bear the boy to go to hospital; they'd tried it once and he didn't settle. 1976‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Nanny Bird viii. 106 You can let go now, he won't settle.
c. to settle down: To subside into indolence or contentment.
1853F. W. Faber All for Jesus (1854) 328 It is incredible how soon people can make themselves comfortable in low things... If it were not for this fatal facility of settling down [etc.]. 1862Lady Morgan's Mem. II. 22 Lady Morgan was always anxious that Sir Charles should exert himself and not settle down into indolent comfort.
20. a. trans. To quiet, tranquillize, compose (a person, his mind, brain, nerves, etc.); to allay (passion). Also refl.
1530Palsgr. 698/1, I sattyll, or sober, or appayse my selfe from myne anger, or any passyon, je me rassis. 1550Bale Apol. 30 If all thys wyll not sattle his wyld wytlesse head. a1619Fletcher Mad Lover iv. i, How still he sitts: I hope this Song has setled him. 1684Bunyan Pilgr. i. (1900) 12 Hoping that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste they got him to bed. 1694Congreve Double Dealer i. i, We'll..drink a dish of tea to settle our heads. 1833H. Martineau Manch. Strike i. 8 A glass of gin..to settle him to his sleep. 1848Leigh Hunt Town (1906) 581 [Charles II] was a rapid and constant walker, to settle his nerves. 1865Trollope Belton Est. xiii, Cold pudding is good to settle a man's love.
b. to settle the stomach: to check vomiting or nausea.
1622J. Davies tr. Mandelslo's Trav. 195 There is not any thing that..settles the stomack better than this herb doth. 1756M. Calderwood in Coltness Collect. (Maitland Club) 129 The minister..made a large pot of coffee,..declaring it to be the finest thing to settle the stomachs of the whole company. 1898P. Manson Trop. Dis. vi. 122 Effervescing mixture often helps to clean the tongue and settle the stomach.
c. To recover from the effects of (drink).
1639S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 62 They let him sleepe..and whilest he setles his drinke, the Duke prepares [etc.].
21. a. To quiet with a blow; to knock down dead or stunned; to finish, ‘do for’.
c1611Chapman Iliad xiii. 587 It settled him, and set his spirit gone Amongst the hands of his best friends. 1660Fuller Mixt Contempl. i. xxvii. 44 They [of Northamptonshire] used to say when at Cudgel playes..one gave his Adversary such a sound blow, as that he knew not whether to stand or to fall that he Settled him at a blow. a1661― Worthies, Lancash. (1662) i. 124 He [Lambert] at Preston gave the Scotch Army such a Blow, as setled or stun'd it. 1709Brit. Apollo II. No. 44. 3/1 Clowns..Call it Settling a Man when they knock him down dead. 1738Swift Pol. Conversat. 103 There's nothing will settle me but a Bullet. 1834Dickens Sk. Boz, Boarding Ho., ‘She says she'll settle her missis's life,’ replied Mrs. Tibbs. ‘The wretch! they're plotting murder.’ 1888Kipling Soldiers Three, In Matter of a Private, ‘Come to―’ laughed Simmons, sending a cartridge home with his thumb. ‘Not before I've settled you an' Jerry Blazes.’
b. to settle (a person's) hash: see hash n.1 3 b.
1822A. Thornton Don Juan II. xii, Which..settled his hash, or, to speak in the language of real science, floored him.
c. To compel to cease from opposition or annoyance; to silence, nonplus.
1850Dickens Dav. Copp. xi, [He] rebelled against my being so distinguished [as to be called by my Christian name], but Mick Walker settled him in no time. 1900H. A. Jones Mrs. Dane's Defence ii. 39 We will very soon settle Mrs. Bulsom-Porter.
†22. In occasional physical uses:
a. trans. To steady, keep from quivering.
b. In pass., of the blood: To cease to move or pulsate.
c. intr. of the eyes: To become set. Obs.
1592Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iv. v. 26 Alas shee's cold, Her blood is setled and her ioynts are stiffe. 1615G. Sandys Trav. 267 His tongue hung out and his eyes setled in his head. 1631Gouge God's Arrows iii. §48. 273 To settle his hand, and to make it the more steddy..Aaron and Hur staid up his hands. 1824S. E. Ferrier Inher. viii, ‘Miss Pratt!’ cried the Earl, in a tone enough to have settled quicksilver itself.
23. a. intr. To come to an end of a series of changes or fluctuations and assume a definite form or condition. Const. in, into. Also to settle down (to).
1684Burnet Th. Earth i. v. 53 The Chaos..was wrought by degrees from one form into another, till it setled at length into an habitable Earth. 1731Arbuthnot Aliments vi. (1735) 191 Our Aliment in the Form of Chyle..is whitish; by..Circulation it runs through all the intermediate Colours, till it settles in an intense Red. 1828D'Israeli Chas. I, II. ii. 32 The elements of war are often gradually accumulating before they settle into an open rupture. 1851–4Tomlinson's Cycl. Useful Arts (1866) I. 775/2 [The ball of glass] settles by cooling into a form similar to that of Fig. 1078. 1858Carlyle Fredk. Gt. vii. vi. II. 236 The Duke..blushed blue, then red, and various colours; at length settling into steady pale. 1859Habits of Gd. Society vii. 250 This smile should not settle into a simper. 1900‘Q’ Old Fires viii, Young men who have run through all beliefs by the age of twenty and settled down to a polite but weary atheism.
b. Of the weather: To become steadily fine. Also to settle (in) for: to come gradually to a steady condition of (rain, frost, etc.); to settle down or settle in, of the weather, a season, etc.: to set in.
1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 106 As soon as the Rains were over, and the Weather began to settle. 1818Scott Rob Roy xiv, Howsomever, I'm no denying that it may settle..till Monday morning. 1825Hone Every-day Bk. I. 879 His cautious neighbour..waited for the weather to ‘settle’. 1863Mrs. Gaskell Sylvia's L. (ed. 2) I. xiv. 294 The air was very still, settling in for a frost. 1889J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat v. 70 ‘Going to clear up, d'ye think?’.. ‘Well, no, sir; I'm afraid it's settled down for the day.’ a1912Mod. It seems to be settling for a storm. 1939K. Pinkerton Wilderness Wife x. 110 By the first week in December the winter began to ‘settle in’, as they say in the North.
c. to settle down: to drop into a regular or uniform rate of movement.
1899Daily News 5 June 3/7 Sweet Mart colt settled down with a clear lead.
V. To render or become stable or permanent; to fix or become fixed in a certain condition.
24. a. trans. To ensure the stability or permanence of (a condition of things, a quality, power, etc.).
c1386Chaucer Merch. T. 2405 Til that youre sighte ysatled [v.r. ystabled] be a whyle Ther may ful many a sighte yow bigile. 1526St. Papers Hen. VIII, IV. 441 Till the peax were some deall moore firmely satilled. 1569Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 667 To settill and estableis universall peace. 1610B. Jonson Masques, Sp. Pr. Henry's Barriers Wks. (1616) 969 Th' increase Of trades and tillage,..Begun by him [Edw. I.], but settled and promou'd By the third Heroe of his name. 1648–9Eikon Bas. xiii. 106 Other violent motions..shall never either shake or settle my Religion. 1693Locke Educ. §41. 43 Thus much for the Setling your Authority over your Children in general. 1710Prideaux Orig. Tithes iv. 172 After they had settled peace between the Father and the Son. 1748Anson's Voy. iii. vi. 345 The eastern monsoon was now, we reckoned, fairly settled. 1833Tennyson Lotos-eaters 127 'Tis hard to settle order once again.
†b. To adopt firmly (an opinion, mental attitude). Obs.
a1586Sidney Arcadia i. (Sommer) 38 They rather increased new doubts, then gaue him ground to settle any iudgement. 1697Cibber Woman's Wit iii. 34 When he does that, I shall know how to settle my Opinion. 1756W. Toldervy Hist. 2 Orphans IV. 210 Mr. Richmond had settled so great a respect for that accomplished gentleman, that he could not suffer him to depart [etc.].
25. To fix, make steadfast or constant (a wavering, irresolute or doubting person, heart, mind, etc.). Const. in, to.
1435Misyn Fire of Love 99 Þerfore my mynde to þi power take & make itt stabyll, þat..my mynde so in þe sattyld so in þi lufe byrne þat, with no chauns..it be kelyd. 1535Coverdale Ecclus. ii. 2 My sonne,..sattle thine hert, and be pacient. 1581in Allen Martyrdom Campion (1908) 49 If a man were not setled in his religion this were inough to convert him. 1606Shakes. Ant. & Cl. ii. ii. 246 If Beauty, Wisedome, Modesty, can settle The heart of Anthony. 1611Bible Col. i. 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and setled. 1639S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 52 He kept back his anger, and setled his minde to sufferance. 1643Baker Chron. (1653) 475 All these being..Papists yesterday, and to day Protestants, who being scarce setled in their Religion, how should they be setled in their Loyalty? c1665Mrs. Hutchinson Mem. Col. Hutchinson (1846) 26 There was no opinion which he was most settled in,..but he would patiently and impartially hear it debated. 1714Swift Public Spirit of Whigs 5 It is a Pamphlet..against the Ministry..; it will settle the Wavering, confirm the Doubtful. 1720De Foe Capt. Singleton xix. (1840) 331 However, William settled my mind to more prudent steps than these. 1882Mozley Remin. (ed. 2) I. 61 A sermon designed to recall and settle the troubled spirits of Oxford,..in what to him was the faith and practice of his forefathers.
26. a. refl. To fix one's attention upon an object; to make up one's mind to do something; to dispose or set oneself steadily to some employment. Now usually with mixture of sense 20, to compose oneself after excitement or restlessness and apply oneself quietly to work. (Often with down.) b. intr. In the same senses, with or without prepositional compl. † Also, to become fixed or steadfast in (affection, etc.).
a.1530Palsgr. 698/1 The mans mynde is so wandringe that he can sattell hym upon nothyng. 1548Elyot Dict., Comparare se ad respondendum, to prepare or settle hym selfe to make an answere. 1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 356 Let vs take the axe,..and settle our selues to cleauing and riueing. 1579Hake Newes out of Powles i. (1872) B j b, Then Paule began..To settle forth him selfe to speake. c1582M. Phillips in Hakluyt's Voy. (1600) III. 432, I could neuer throughly settle my selfe to marry in that countrey. 1675Duppa Rules Devotion 70 When thou art therefore setling thy self to thy devotions. 1833H. Martineau Briery Creek iv. 78 When I settle myself down to my pursuits. 1881Shorthouse J. Inglesant II. 378 After some talk of this nature we settled ourselves to our music and to tune our instruments.
b.1576G. Pettie Petite Pallace 65 She began to settle so surely in good wyl towardes him. 1667Pepys Diary 1 June, It troubles me to see how hard it is for me to settle to it [sc. business] sometimes when my mind is upon pleasure. 1699W. Dampier Voy. II. ii. vi. 128 When the violent Storm..took us, I was but just settling to Work. 1756Walpole Let. Conway 22 Jan., The Opposition, like schoolboys, don't know how to settle to their books again after the holidays. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair lix, His daughter could not induce him to settle down to his customary occupations. 1865Mrs. Gaskell Wives & Dau. I. xix. 215 She went down into the drawing-room, and could not settle to anything. 1883Law Times LXXVI. 118/2 The horse..when checked..broke into a canter, and would not trot and settle down to its work afterwards. 1976Cambridge Independent Press 16 Dec. i. 10/5 But Felixstowe settled and after 25 minutes they took the lead when Bailey touched home Goffin's cross.
27. a. To secure or confirm (a person) in a position of authority, an office; to install permanently, establish in an office, an employment.
a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 187 b, When Kynge Henry was somewhat setteled in the realme of Scotlande. 1553Bale Vocacyon 42, I thought my selfe..wele satteled in the bishoprycke of Ossorye. a1586Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 180 After the death of Tiridates, and setling Erona in her gouernement. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 35 He beheaded and strangled most of them..to settle himselfe in a more quiet tyranny. 1660Wood Life Dec. (O.H.S.) I. 360 Many..being absent from the University either to get, or settle themselves in their preferments. 1694E. Chamberlayne Pres. St. Eng. iii. i. (ed. 18) 356 How a Clergyman becomes settled in a Living. 1705De Foe Consolidator Wks. 1840 IX. 354 They went on to settle themselves in all sorts of trade in open companies. 1857Kingsley Two Y. Ago I. i, He had made to himself a practice large enough to enable him to settle two sons well in his own profession.
b. (Chiefly Sc. and U.S.) To appoint (a minister) to the charge of a parish; also, to appoint a minister to (a parish). In U.S. also intr.: see quot. 1828–32.
1719Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 448 The Presbytery of Ayr are appointed..to go on and settle the parish. 1726Ibid. III. 253 That Mr. Chambers being now settled, the Magistrates..and Communicants in Aberdeen..could not be deprived of him. 1756in [N. Morren] Ann. Gen. Assembly Ch. Scot. (1840) II. 77 That the blood of the parish of Nigg would be required of them if they should settle a man to the walls of the kirk. 1773Boswell Johnson 1 May, In some cases the Prebytery having refused to induct or settle, as they call it, the person presented by the patron. 1828–32Webster, Settle, to be ordained or installed over a parish, church or congregation. A. B. was invited to settle in the first society in New Haven. 1890M. E. Wilkins Faraway Melody, etc. 32 He was settled over a neighbouring parish [New England].
28. a. To establish (a person) in the matrimonial state. Phr. to settle in the world or in life. Now chiefly refl. and pass.
1566Kinwelmarshe Jocasta i. in Gascoigne's Wks. (1907) I. 247 Thou knowst what care my carefull father tooke, In wedlockes sacred state to settle me With Laius. 1693Dryden Ovid's Met. ix. Iphis & Ianthe 70 The fond Father thought the time drew on Of settling in the World his only Son. Ianthe was his choice. 1704Steele Lying Lover ii. i. 27, I therefore have resolv'd to settle thee, and chosen a young Lady, witty, prudent, rich and fair. 1772Foote Nabob iii. (1778) 71 And as to my young cousins within, I hope we shall be able to settle them without Sir Matthew's assistance. 1825T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Doubts & F. iii, The prudent gentlewoman..wishes to settle her daughter. 1831T. L. Peacock Crotchet Castle v, I have been very much in love; but now I am come to years of discretion, and must think..of settling myself advantageously. 1864Trollope Can you forgive her? vii, How are you to settle yourself in life if you don't care for them [sc. amusements]?
b. intr. ‘To establish a domestic state’ (J); chiefly in phr. to marry and settle, to settle in life. Also to settle down.
1718Prior Alma ii. 49 As people marry now, and settle, Fierce love abates his usual mettle. 1738Swift Pol. Conversat. 102 Why don't you marry, and settle? 1822De Quincey Conf. 29 My landlady..had but lately married away and ‘settled’ (as such people express it) for life. 1830M. T. Sadler Law Popul. I. 564 Their very object in leaving their native countries is to settle in life, a phrase that needs no explanation. 1869J. Greenwood Seven Curses London ii. 19 At sixteen..the pair embark in housekeeping and ‘settle down’. 1891G. Chamier Philosopher Dick v. 120 ‘Didn't I tell you he was a looking hout for some crib to settle down.’ ‘Settle down, indeed! What do you mean?’ ‘Why, he's about to get spliced.’ 1911G. B. Shaw Getting Married 118 They had all, as they called it, settled down, like balloons that had lost their lifting margin of gas. 1928E. O'Neill Strange Interlude vi. 230 He looks pretty dissipated..too many women..ought to get married and settle down.
†29. To establish (a person) in legal possession of property. to be settled of: to be seised of.
1617Moryson Itin. ii. 10 This man dying without heires males, his said brother came up to the State, that he might be setled in his inheritance. 1647N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. xli. (1689) 64 If the man was settled of such estate..and died, his Wife surviving,..she had her Dower, or third part of such estate of inheritance.
30. a. To secure (payment, property, title) to, on, or upon (a person) by decree, ordinance, or enactment.
1625Burges Pers. Tithes 32 By yeelding that to be a Due, which the Law hath setled vpon the Minister. 1651Hobbes Leviath. iii. xl. 250 The succession to that Office was setled upon Aaron, and his heirs after him. 1659Milton Consid. Means to remove Hirelings title-p., Wherein is also discourc'd..whether any maintenance of ministers can be settl'd by law. 1697Dryden æneid i. 8 He..setl'd sure Succession in his Line. 1708Constit. Watermen's Co. lv, So much Money as shall from time to time be settled to and for each of them in the Poor's List. 1765Blackstone Comm. I. i. iii. 207 They therefore settled the crown, first on king William and queen Mary..for their joint lives. 1859R. Piddington Last of Cav. xxxiv, The conditions on which the crown was to be settled. 1863H. Cox Inst. iii. iii. 620 The statute settling the present title to the Crown.
b. Of a private individual: To secure (property, succession) to, on or upon (a person) by means of a deed of settlement.
a1661Fuller Worthies, Somerset. (1662) ii. 37 She would have setled on that House Lands to the value of five hundred pounds per annum. a1700Evelyn Diary 6 Jan. 1692, Boyle..had settled a fund for preachers who should preach expressly against Atheists [etc.]. 1711Addison Spect. No. 106 ⁋6, I..have settled upon him a good Annuity for Life. 1766Blackstone Comm. II. 137 It became usual, on marriage, to settle by express deed some special estate to the use of the husband and his wife, for their lives, in joint⁓tenancy or jointure. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) IV. 285 A tenant for life, with power to settle a jointure. 1844J. Williams Real Prop. (1877) 103 The modern English custom of settling the family estates on the eldest son. 1884Flor. Marryat Under Lilies xiii, The day that Miss Rayne becomes Lady Coombe, I will settle a thousand a year on her for her private use.
c. absol. To make a jointure (see jointure n. 4).
1713Garth Epil. to Cato, He sighs with most Success that settles well.
†d. intr. Of an estate: To pass legally. Obs.
a1626Bacon Use of Law (1629) 65 Vpon Feofments and Recoveries, the estate doth settle as the vse and intent of the parties is declared..before the Acts was done.
31. a. trans. To subject to permanent regulations, to set permanently in order, place on a permanent footing (institutions, government); to bring (a language) into a permanent form.
1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lxxvi. §4. 223 The greatest felicitie they wish to the common wealth..is that..no faulte may be capitall besides dislike of things setled in so good termes. 1629Selden in Lett. Lit. Men. (Camden) 143 For the Library is not yet so setled as that books may not be lent if the founder will. 1642J. M[arsh] Argt. conc. Militia 1 The King refusing to settle the Militia for the defence and securitie of his people. 1643Baker Chron. (1653) 93 King Richard at his going out of England, had so well setled the Government of the kingdome, that [etc.]. 1659Milton Civ. Power 44 [They] who think the gospel..cannot stand or continue..unless it be enacted and settled, as they call it, by the state. 1662Bk. Com. Prayer, For the High Court of Parlt., That all things may be so ordered and setled by their endeavours, upon the best and surest foundations. 1712Swift Propos. Corr. Eng. Tongue 45 If You will not take some Care to settle our Language, and put it into a state of Continuance. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 575 The government should be settled on principles favourable to liberty. 1874Green Short Hist. viii. §10 They proceeded at once to settle the Government on a Parliamentary basis. 1886T. L. Kington-Oliphant New Engl. II. 1 Tyndale, Coverdale, and Cranmer had done so much to settle our language.
absol.a1700Evelyn Diary 19 Aug. 1660, The National Assemblies beginning to settle, and wanting instruction. 1718Prior Solomon ii. 704 Her Will alone could settle or revoke; And Law was fix'd by what She latest spoke.
†b. To vest the control of (something) in a person. Obs.
1671E. Chamberlayne Pres. St. Eng. ii. 279 Besides, the fore-mentioned forces there is the standing Militia..setled in the King.
c. to settle one's estate, one's affairs: to arrange for the disposal of one's property, the payment of one's debts, etc., esp. with a view to one's death, removal to a distance, or retirement from business. Occas. with up.
In the first quot. perh. rather: to render one's worldly position secure (sense 24).
1652Bp. Hall Rem. Wks. (1660) 144 Oh the poor and base thoughts of men! How may I raise my house? how may I settle my estate? a1700Evelyn Diary 10 Sept. 1647, Being call'd into England to settle my affaires after an absence of about 4 yeares. 1710Steele Tatler No. 164 ⁋6, I several months since made my Will, settled my estate, and took leave of my friends. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 555 He had settled all his affairs so well at Bengal, and left his Effects in such good Hands, that [etc.]. 1884J. Gilmour Mongols xxxi. 363 They..are expected to settle up their affairs and return to their remote abodes. 1894A. Robertson Nuggets 84 Besides, hasn't he settled his affairs—made his will, in fact, most sensibly.
VI. To fix (what is uncertain), to decide (a question).
32. a. To appoint or fix definitely beforehand, to decide upon (a time, place, plan of action, price, conditions, etc.); † to adjust (one's action) to something.
1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. ix. II. 158 The Wardanis setlis a day. 1608Chapman Byron's Trag. iii. i. 50 My lord, I stand not on these deep discourses To settle my course to your fortunes. 1754Cowper Ep. R. Lloyd 31 Thus, the preliminaries settled. 1782F. Burney Cecilia vi. v, His journey to Bristol was settled to take place in three days. 1798S. Lee Canterb. T., Young Lady's T. II. 164 Having settled his route..[he] set out. 1825Cobbett Rur. Rides (1885) II. 14 The allowance settled by the magistrates for a young, hearty, labouring man! 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. iv. iv, The Hall is ready: the very costume [of the Deputies], as we said, has been settled. 1867Mrs. Oliphant Madonna Mary III. xiv. 236, I came that it might be all settled out of hand. 1891‘J. S. Winter’ Lumley iii, ‘Then it's as good as settled,’ he remarked, smiling broadly.
†b. To appoint or arrange (something to be done or to take place). Obs.
1694Penn Trav. Holland 162 Being the first monthly meeting that was setled for Frieslandt. 1705New Jersey Archives XI. 13 These are to give notice, That Her Majesty..Hath settled Packet-Boats for the West-Indies. 1709Steele Tatler 143 ⁋3 There is a Stage-Coach settled from the One-Bell in the Strand to Dorchester.
c. To fix by mutual agreement.
1620R. Cocks Diary (Hakl. Soc.) II. 122 Capt. Speck came..to talke about going to Nangasaque to Gonrok Dono, to settell the price of the lead. 1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. s.v., We have at last settled that Business. 1716Addison Freeholder No. 23 ⁋3, I think it is very convenient there should be a cartel settled between them. 1786F. Burney Diary 8 Aug., The conversation concluded with nothing being settled. 1824S. E. Ferrier Inher. viii, All these matters being settled, Miss Pratt then accepted the arm of her companion. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair iv, If a dear girl has no dear Mamma to settle matters with the young man. 1896Bodkin Ld. Edw. Fitzgerald xi, Meanwhile the two seconds were settling the fatal formalities in the library.
d. intr. To come to a decision; to decide to do something; to decide upon (a plan of action, an object of choice).
1782F. Burney Cecilia iv. vii, Two other young ladies, who were..settling to dance in the same cotillon. 1814F. Burney (Miss Burney) Wanderer (1817) I. 122 A comedy that we have been settling to massacre. 1833H. Martineau Manch. Strike xii. 127 The masters met and settled that they would give no more than the medium wages. 1867Mrs. Oliphant Madonna Mary III. xiii. 222 This was what Will had always intended and settled upon. 1885H. Finch-Hatton Advance Australia! 196, I settled to shift my camp up the creek. 1886Hardy Mayor Casterbr. xxiv, But settling upon new clothes is so trying.
e. to settle for, to decide or agree on, to content oneself with.
1959P. Bull I know Face i. 11 My father wanted me to be a chartered accountant, a profession which seemed to me to lack glamour. However, in order to show willing, I did settle for ‘journalism’. 1963H. Garner in R. Weaver Canad. Short Stories (1968) 2nd Ser. 27 There were plates of doughnuts..but I settled for a mug of coffee. 1972C. Fremlin Appointment with Yesterday xi. 82 ‘You couldn't start straight away, could you?.. Or would you rather have some coffee?’.. Milly found the courage to settle for the coffee.
33. a. trans. To decide, come to a fixed conclusion on (a question, a matter of doubt or discussion); to bring to an end (a dispute) by agreement or intervention.
1651Hobbes Leviath. i. iv. 15 In Geometry..men begin at settling the significations of their words; which settling of significations, they call Definitions. 1666Boyle Orig. Formes & Qual. 111 This being thus setled in the First place, we may in the Next consider, that [etc.]. 1716Addison Freeholder No. 53 ⁋3 Casuists..that will settle you the right of Princes. 1793Blackstone's Comm. (ed. 12) I. 114 note, At the great council assembled in 1072, to settle the claim of precedence between the two archbishops. 1883Law Rep. 11 Q.B. Div. 575 In settling the value of a copyhold fine. 1886Manch. Exam. 16 Jan. 5/4 The dispute at Llandulas quarries has been settled. 1895Rowlands in Law Times XCIX. 564/2 Now that this point has been definitely settled, it seems too clear for argument.
b. With indirect question as obj.
1796F. Burney Camilla I. 282 Mr. Tyrold intreated him to stay till they had settled how to get rid of the business. 1874Symonds Sk. Italy & Greece (1898) I. xii. 237, I have to settle with myself what I mean by art in general.
c. Of a fact or argument: To be decisive of (a question).
1825Cobbett Hist. Prot. Reform. (1899) xvi. §468 There! that settles the matter. 1857Kingsley Two Y. Ago Introd., You shall see enough to-day to settle for you the question whether we old-country folk are in a state of decadence.
d. Law. To decide (a case) by arrangement between the contesting parties. More fully, to settle out of court.
1900Daily News 14 Feb. 6/4 After one of the plaintiffs..had been in the box, it was agreed to settle the case.
e. To put beyond dispute, establish (a principle, fact) by authority or argument.
1733Arbuthnot Ess. Effects Air v. 97 Another Fact, settled by a fair Experiment of the ingenious Mr. Hales, is, that [etc.]. 1883Kay in Law Rep. 24 Chanc. Div. 107 It is well settled that the transmissibility of contingent interest is a doctrine applying equally to real and personal estate.
34. a. intr. To arrange matters in dispute, to come to terms or agreement with a person.
1527St. Papers Hen. VIII, I. 272, I have first depeched Monsr Gregory, who, after he hathe satelled with Monsr de Lotrik..shall [etc.]. 1647Caldwell Papers (Maitland Club) I. 110 For my awin chargis..in settling wt y⊇ ladie, and resaving of y⊇ rents. 1682Rec. Scott. Cloth. Manuf. New Mills (S.H.S.) 33 Ordered thatt upon settleing with Smith in the teerms thatt the rest of the silk stocken men are upon thatt he have a gratuity of 3 legg dollars. 1800Paget in P. Papers (1896) I. 191 It was not till yesterday that I was enabled to settle with the Master of an English Merchantman for my conveyance.
b. To make an arrangement, compound with a creditor.
1838W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. 197 In extra-judicial arrangements for settling by composition, no creditor can be required to accept the composition offered, unless he pleases. 1855Thackeray Newcomes II. xxxii. 294 The reverend Baptist Bellman..had helped himself to 73,000 l. more, for which he settled in the Bankruptcy Court. 1885Law Rep. 15 Q.B. Div. 11 The underwriters of the ship ultimately settled with her owners at 88 per cent.
35. a. trans. To close (an account) by a money payment; to pay (an account, bill, score); also dial. to write ‘settled’ to a bill, to receipt (it).
1687Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. s.v., To settle an Account, regler un Conte. 1765Foote Commissary i. (1782) 26 Let us settle accounts, Mr. Paduasoy; you'll see no more of my money. 1840Thackeray Shabby-genteel Story ii, [At the foot of a bill.] Settled, Juliana Gann. 1848― Van. Fair xxxiv, I'd best go and settle the score. 1868Atkinson Cleveland Gloss. s.v., Gan an' pay John Lewis' bill, an' mahnd an' git him to sattle 't.
fig.1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxiii, If I was they, I would settle accounts with myself, for all my hard fighting, the same way. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xvi. 148 What an awful account these wicked creatures will have to settle, at last, especially for being lazy! 1887W. E. Norris Major & Minor III. xi. 199, I am here to settle accounts with you, my fine fellow. I suppose you thought it was a very safe thing to insult and desert a girl who had nobody at hand to protect her except an old man.
b. absol. or intr. To settle accounts by payment. Chiefly const. with.
1788C. Reeve Exiles III. 105, I was obliged to go to the inn to settle with the landlord. 1796Hist. Ned Evans II. 192 He had still upwards of {pstlg}300 in his hands, for which he would be ready to account whenever he chose to settle. 1827Scott Chron. Canongate i, Some change that was due to me on settling with my landlady. 1844Macaulay in Trevelyan Life (1876) II. 155, I then called to the steward, and pretended to be very anxious to settle with him about some coffee that I had taken. 1873Money Market ix. (ed. 3) 113 The ‘settling’ days occur twice in each month, when the transactions of the preceding fortnight are settled for in cash. 1886Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. s.v., I went and begged o' un vor to settle; he've a got a plenty o' money.
fig.c1820S. Rogers Italy, Arqua 40 When he had done and settled with the world.
VII. 36. Comb.: † settle-brain, something that calms the brain; settle-down nonce-wd., a flock settling down.
1629Ford Lovers Mel. ii. ii, Sir, is your stomacke vp yet? get some warme porredge in your belly, 'tis a very good settle-braine. 1640Brome Antipodes v. vii, I have yet an entertainment for him, Of better Settle-braine, then Drunkards porridge. 1692Tryon Good Housew. xxvi. 213 Coffee is the Drunkards Settle-brain. 1855Browning Cleon 15 Like the chequer-work Pavement..Now covered with this settle-down of doves. |