Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Sell?

\Sell\, n. Self. [Obs. or Scot.] --B. Jonson.
\Sell\, n. A sill. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
\Sell\, n. A cell; a house. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
\Sell\, n. [F. selle, L. sella, akin to sedere to sit. See {Sit}.] 1. A saddle for a horse. [Obs.] He left his lofty steed with golden self. --Spenser. 2. A throne or lofty seat. [Obs.] --Fairfax.
\Sell\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sold}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Selling}.] [OE. sellen, sillen, AS. sellan, syllan, to give, to deliver; akin to OS. sellian, OFries. sella, OHG. sellen, Icel. selja to hand over, to sell, Sw. s["a]lja to sell, Dan. s?lge, Goth. saljan to offer a sacrifice; all from a noun akin to E. sale. Cf. {Sale}.] 1. To transfer to another for an equivalent; to give up for a valuable consideration; to dispose of in return for something, especially for money. If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor. --Matt. xix. 21. I am changed; I'll go sell all my land. --Shak. Note: Sell is corellative to buy, as one party buys what the other sells. It is distinguished usually from exchange or barter, in which one commodity is given for another; whereas in selling the consideration is usually money, or its representative in current notes. 2. To make a matter of bargain and sale of; to accept a price or reward for, as for a breach of duty, trust, or the like; to betray. You would have sold your king to slaughter. --Shak. 3. To impose upon; to trick; to deceive; to make a fool of; to cheat. [Slang] --Dickens. {To sell one's life dearly}, to cause much loss to those who take one's life, as by killing a number of one's assailants. {To sell} (anything) {out}, to dispose of it wholly or entirely; as, he had sold out his corn, or his interest in a business.
\Sell\, v. i. 1. To practice selling commodities. I will buy with you, sell with you; . . . but I will not eat with you. --Shak. 2. To be sold; as, corn sells at a good price. {To sell out}, to sell one's whole stockk in trade or one's entire interest in a property or a business.
\Sell\, n. An imposition; a cheat; a hoax. [Colloq.]