Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Sell
Sell
(sĕl)
, Noun.
Self.
[Obs. or Scot.]
B. Jonson.
Sell
(sĕl)
, Noun.
A sill.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
Sell
(sĕl)
, Noun.
A cell; a house.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
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
(sĕl)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Sold
(sōld)
; 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. sälja
to sell, Dan. sælge
, 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. It is the correlative of
buy
. 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. Shakespeare
☞ 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. Shakespeare
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
(sĕl)
, Verb.
I.
1.
To practice selling commodities.
I will buy with you,
sell
with you; . . . but I will not eat with you. Shakespeare
2.
To be sold;
as, corn
. sells
at a good priceTo sell out
, to sell one's whole stock in trade or one's entire interest in a property or a business.
Sell
,Noun.
An imposition; a cheat; a hoax.
[Colloq.]
Webster 1828 Edition
Sell
SELL
, for self; and sells for selves. [Scot.]SELL
,Noun.
SELL
,Verb.
T.
1. To transfer property or the exclusive right of possession to another for an equivalent in money. It is correlative to buy, as one party buys what the other sells. It is distinguished from exchange or barter, in which one commodity is given for another; wheras in selling the consideration is money, or its representative in current notes. To this distinction there may be certain exceptions. 'Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage.' But this is unusual. 'Let us sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites- And they sold him for twenty pieces of silver.' Gen. 37.
Among the Hebrews, parents had power to sell their children.
2. To betray; to deliver or surrender for money or reward; as, to sell one's country.
3. To yield or give for a certain consideration. the troops fought like lions, and sold their lives dearly. that is, they yielded their lives, but first destroyed many, which made it a dear purchase for their enemies.
4. In Scripture, to give up to be harassed and made slaves.
He sold them into the hands of their enemies. Judg. 2.
5. To part with; to renounce or forsake.
Buy the truth and sell it not. Prov. 23.