means To settle is to come to rest, reach agreement, or make a place your permanent home — finally bringing motion or dispute to a stop.

from From Old English 'setlan,' to seat or place, built on 'setl,' a seat or resting-place — itself a cousin of 'sit.' The thread runs straight through: a settle was once a long wooden bench, and to settle was literally to put something on its seat. From there the meanings fanned out — settling a body into a chair, settling debts into balance, settling people onto land — all variations on getting things to come to rest.