▪ I. dwell, v.
(dwɛl)
Pa. tense and pple. dwelt, now rarely dwelled (dwɛld). Forms: 1 dwellan, 3 (Orm.) dwellenn, 3–6 duell(e, (4 dewelle, dowelle), 4–6 duel, dwelle, 4–7 dwel, 4– dwell. pa. tense α. 1 dwealde, 3 dwalde, dualde, duelde, 4–5 dwelde, dwellede, 4– dwelled (4–6 -id, -yd). β. 4 duelit, dwelte, 4–5 dwellet, -it, 4– dwelt.
[OE. dwęllan, pa. tense *dwalde, dwealde, (later also dwęlian, -ede, -ode) to lead astray, hinder, delay; also intr. (for refl.) to go astray, err; to be delayed, tarry, stay; corresp. to OHG. twęllan, ON. dvęlja to retard, delay, intr. to stop, MDu. dwellen to stun, make giddy, perplex:—OTeut. *dwaljan, causal of strong vb. of ablaut series dwel-, dwal-, dwol-, (dul-), repr. by OHG. gitwelan to be stunned, benumbed, torpid, also to cease, leave off, give up, OS. fordwelan to cease, leave off, OE. pa. pple. ᵹedwolen gone astray, gone wrong, perverted; from an Aryan root dhwel, dhul, appearing in Skr. dhwṛ, dhūr to mislead, deceive.]
† 1. trans. To lead into error, mislead, delude; to stun, stupefy. Obs.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §5 Me þincþ þæt þu me dweliᵹe [MS. Cott. dwelle]. Ibid., Ðu rædest ær þæt ic þe dwealde. Ac me þincþ selfum þæt ic þe nauht ne dwelode [MS. Cott. dwelle]. c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 492 Þa..dry⁓men..ferdon him ætforan mid heora scincræfte, þæt folc dweliende. a 1300 Cursor M. 17708 Þei fell als þai in duale war dueld [Gött. delued]. Ibid. 28031 Quen yee sa bede your war to sell, Þe fole marchandis eth to duell. |
† 2. To hinder, delay. (Only OE.)
| a 1000 Riddles xii. (Exeter Bk. lf. 103 b) Ic dysᵹe dwelle. |
† 3. intr. To tarry, delay; to desist from action.
| c 1200 Ormin 9938 He nollde nohht Þatt aniȝ shollde dwellenn Ne draȝhenn nohht fra daȝȝ to daȝȝ. Ibid. 13218 [He] Ne dwalde nohht to kiþenn himm. Þatt god tatt himm was awwnedd. c 1300 [see dwelling 1]. a 1325 Prose Psalter xliii[i]. 25 Arise vp, Lord; whi dwellestou? c 1386 Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 330 Thilke tale is al to longe for to telle, And eek it is ny day, I may nat dwelle. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xi. vii, I drede we dwelle ouer longe from the sege. |
4. To abide or continue for a time, in a place, state, or condition. Obs. or arch.
| c 1200 Ormin 5576 Himm reoweþþ þatt he dwelleþþ her Swa swiþe lange onn eorþe. a 1300 Cursor M. 17288 + 393 Sir, dwelle withe vus, for it is nerhand night. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 318 Crist duelled in preyere al þe nyȝt. a 1483 Liber Niger in Househ. Ord. 66 If any sergeaunt..dwelle in arerages, he to be sent into the ward of Marchalcye. 1550 Crowley Epigr. 26 They be determined styll in their synne to dwell. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. iii. 157 Ile rather dwell in my necessitie. 1670 Brooks Wks. (1867) VI. 390 A man..would dwell in this contemplation of heaven, and be loath to come out of it. 1797 Godwin Enquirer i. vi. 40 Their lines dwell upon our memory. 1896 J. Davidson Fleet Street Eclogues 25 Fainter Voices Echo about the air and dwell and die. |
† b. to let dwell: to let (things) remain as they are, let alone, let be. Obs.
| c 1435 Torr. Portugal 2105 Let we now this children dwelle, And speke we more of Desonelle. |
c. Of a horse: (a) To be slow in raising the feet from the ground in stepping. (b) To pause before taking a fence.
| 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 48 They..are apt..to interfere or cut, and to dwell upon the Ground (as the Jockeys term it). Ibid. 76 The Horse that takes long Steps, and dwells upon the Ground. 1885 Sat. Rev. 14 Feb. 206/1 Horses that ‘dwell’ at their fences are in our opinion, most objectionable hunters. |
d. Mech. To pause. See dwell n. 2.
| 1836 [see dwelling 4]. 1888 C. P. Brooks Cotton Manuf. 61 The slay dwells longer at the healds than at the cloth. |
5. to dwell on, upon († in): to spend time upon or linger over (a thing) in action or thought; to remain with the attention fixed on; now, esp. to treat at length or with insistence, in speech or writing; also, to sustain (a note) in music. (The most frequent current use in speech.)
| [c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 69 He dwellide on þe cure, and I wente my wey. c 1470 Henry Wallace ii. 246 Thai chargyt the geyler nocht on him to duell, Bot bryng him wp out of that vgly sell To jugisment.] 1513 Douglas æneis i. Prol. 246 Quhat suld I langar on his errouris dwell? 1581 Mulcaster Positions xliv. (1887) 285 Not to dwel longer on this point. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, v. iii. 100 Enterchange of sweet Discourse, Which so long sundred Friends should dwell vpon. 1652 J. Wright tr. Camus' Nature's Paradox 222 Not to dwell any longer in these lawless proceedings. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 28 ¶13 That Letter dwells upon the Unreasonableness of the Allies. 1816 Keatinge Trav. (1817) II. 33 The mind..can make the eye dwell on the more pleasing parts. 1834 Medwin Angler in Wales I. 274 Now she dwells on a single note. 1848 Mill Pol. Econ. i. v. §3 (1876) 42 This proposition requires to be somewhat dwelt upon. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) IV. 495 [Plato] is constantly dwelling on the importance of regular classification. |
† 6. To continue in existence, to last, persist; to remain after others are taken or removed. Obs.
| 13.. Guy Warw. (Caius) 294 Yf I my sorowe hir doo not telle, Allas, wrecche, how shall y duelle? 1393 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) I. 186, I will that this place dwell still to my wyfe and to my childer. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 49 For so þe schap of þe lyme [= limb] mai dwelle faire and strengere. 1401 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 83, I have chosen ȝou alle, that ȝe gon and beren fruyte, and ȝour fruyte may dwellyn. |
7. To remain (in a house, country, etc.) as in a permanent residence; to have one's abode; to reside, ‘live’. (Now mostly superseded by live in spoken use; but still common in literature.)
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1106 Quile ðat loth dwelledde ðor. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne Prol. 65 Y dwelled yn þe pryorye Fyftene ȝere yn cumpanye. 1470–85 Malory Arthur i. xvii, His mayster Bleyse that dwelde in Northumberland. 1574 Nottingham Rec. IV. 156 The tenemente..wherein George Taylor lately dwelled. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxviii. 240 The King that dwelleth in Heaven. 1798 Wordsw. We are Seven, Two of us at Conway dwell, And two are gone to sea. 1874 Green Short Hist. i. §1. 3 As they fought side by side on the field, so they dwelled side by side on the soil. |
| transf. and fig. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 294 Bot na drede in þair hertes may dwelle. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione ii. i. 40 Reste in þe passion of crist, & dwelle gladly in hys holy woundes. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 250 Farewel happy Fields Where Joy for ever dwells. 1751 Jortin Serm. (1771) IV. i. 114 A faith which dwells in the heart. 1847 A. M. Gilliam Trav. Mexico 177, I admire the love of country that dwells in the bosoms of Englishmen. |
† 8. trans. To occupy as a place of residence; to inhabit. Obs.
| 1520 Sir R. Elyot Will in Elyot's Gov. (1883) I. App. A. 315 The tenement that she dwellith in Sarum. 1671 Milton P.R. i. 330 We..Who dwell this wild, constrained by want. 1799 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. VII. 139 And now I dwell the cloister, sweep the ailes. |
† 9. To cause to abide in. Obs.
| 1667 Milton P.L. xii. 487 The promise of the Father, who shall dwell His Spirit within them. |
Hence dwelling ppl. a., remaining, lasting, abiding; † dwelt ppl. a., inhabited.
| c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 293 Apostlis chosen preestis..and maden hem dwellinge curatis. 1610 Broughton Job xxxiv. 13 Who settled all the dwelt-land. 1650 Trapp Comm. Lev. xix. 17 The neglect of this dutie breeds dwelling suspicions. 1872 A. Shadwell in J. E. Morgan University Oars (1873) 316 The blade long enough in the water to secure a dwelling stroke. |
▪ II. dwell, n.
Also 4 duell, dwel.
[f. dwell v. (Cf. ON. dvöl stay, delay.)]
The action or an act of dwelling.
† 1. Delay, stay, stoppage. withoute(n dwell: without delay, straightway. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2831 Ne mak ȝee in þe plain na duell. Ibid. 12992 Fle sathanas, wit-vten duell. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 648 Þe iantail knyȝt.. spak with-oute duelle. Ibid. 2646 Þat myn host may come withoute dwel. |
2. Mech. A slight pause in the motion of a part of a machine to give time for the completion of the operation effected by the particular part. b. The brief continuation of pressure in taking an impression with a hand-press.
| 1841 Specif. Darker's Patent No. 9065. 7 A dwell of sufficient length to insert the wire [in a carpet loom]. 1885 Specif. J. Jardine's Patent No. 4960. 4, I am enabled to give a similar rest or dwell to the carriages at each extremity of their motion. 1890 Iron XXXV. 269/1 This positive standstill lasts..during the whole portion of the stroke [of the press], which is technically called the dwell. |