felawe

Middle English

Alternative forms

• fela, felage, felaghe, felaȝe, felaw, felawȝe, fele, felle, fellowe, felow, felowe, ffelawe, ffelow, velaghe, velaȝe

Etymology

Inherited from Old English fēolaga, from Old Norse félagi; compare fe and lawe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛlau̯(ə)/, /ˈfɛlɔu̯(ə)/, /ˈfeː-/
• (with reduced vowel) IPA^(key): /ˈfɛla/, /ˈfɛlə/

Noun

felawe (plural felawes)

1. A (male) partner, friend, or colleague; one linked with others:
   1. A (male) co-worker; one who is employed in the same position as oneself or who works with oneself.
   2. A member of an organisation, society, religious order/group, college, trade association, etc.
   3. A (male) accomplice; one who assists another in criminal activity.
   4. A (male) partner or partaker in revelry or one who likes doing so (i.e. is extroverted).
   5. One who is in a close platonic relationship with another; a true companion.
2. An adversary; one who is against oneself in physical combat.
3. One who is equal or equivalent to another; a peer.
4. An appellation used towards a man beneath oneself in society (either friendly or insulting)
5. A member of or a thing in a grouping, set, or bunch.
6. (rare) A sexual or marital partner (of a human or animal)
7. (rare) A male individual of low societal or moral rank.
8. (rare) Any male individual; a fella, guy, etc.
9. (rare) That which acts as an intermediary force or agent.

Derived terms

• bedfelawe
• felawely
• felawen
• felaweshipe
• felawrede
• felawshipen

 

Descendants

• English: fellow, fella, feller
• Scots: falow, fallow, follow
• Yola: vellas (plural)

References

• “fē̆lau(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-08-31.