settle

I. verb (settled; settling) Etymology: Middle English, to seat, bring to rest, come to rest, from Old English setlan, from setl seat Date: 1515 transitive verb 1. to place so as to stay 2. a. to establish in residence b. to furnish with inhabitants ; colonize 3. a. to cause to pack down b. to clarify by causing dregs or impurities to sink 4. to make quiet or orderly 5. a. to fix or resolve conclusively <

settle the question

> b. to establish or secure permanently <

settle the order of royal succession

> c. to conclude (a lawsuit) by agreement between parties usually out of court d. to close (as an account) by payment often of less than is due 6. to arrange in a desired position 7. to make or arrange for final disposition of <

settled his affairs

> 8. of an animal impregnate intransitive verb 1. to come to rest 2. a. to sink gradually or to the bottom b. to become clear by the deposit of sediment or scum c. to become compact by sinking 3. a. to become fixed, resolved, or established <

a cold settled in his chest

> b. to establish a residence or colony <

settled in Wisconsin

> — often used with down 4. a. to become quiet or orderly b. to take up an ordered or stable life — often used with down <

marry and settle down

> 5. a. to adjust differences or accounts b. to come to a decision — used with on or upon <

settled on a new plan

> c. to conclude a lawsuit by agreement out of court 6. of an animal conceive Synonyms: see decide • settleable adjective II. noun Etymology: Middle English, place for sitting, seat, chair, from Old English setl; akin to Old High German sezzal seat, Latin sella seat, chair, Old English sittan to sit Date: 1553 a wooden bench with arms, a high solid back, and an enclosed foundation which can be used as a chest