Jump to content

fell

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Fell

English

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Etymology 1

[edit]

From Middle English fellen, from Old English fellan, fiellan (“to cause to fall, strike down, fell, cut down, throw down, defeat, destroy, kill, tumble, cause to stumble”), from Proto-West Germanic *fallijan, from Proto-Germanic *fallijaną (“to fell, to cause to fall”), causative of Proto-Germanic *fallaną (“to fall”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂peh₃lH-.

Cognate with Dutch vellen (“to fell, cut down”), German fällen (“to fell”), Danish fælde (“to fell”), Norwegian felle (“to fell”).

Verb

[edit]

fell (third-person singular simple present fells, present participle felling, simple past and past participle felled)

  1. (transitive) To make something fall; especially to chop down a tree.
  2. (transitive) To strike down, kill, destroy.
    • 1922, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Chessmen of Mars‎[2], HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2010:
      Gahan, horrified, saw the latter's head topple from its body, saw the body stagger and fall to the ground. ... The creature that had felled its companion was dashing madly in the direction of the hill upon which he was hidden, it dodged one of the workers that sought to seize it. … Then it was that Gahan's eyes chanced to return to the figure of the creature the fugitive had felled.
    • 1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 19:
      "Even in his most temperate moments he is constantly felling people with a hunting-crop."
    • 2010 September 27, Christina Passariello, “Prodos Capital, Samsung Make Final Cut for Ferré”, in Wall Street Journal‎[3], retrieved 26 August 2012:
      … could make Ferré the first major fashion label felled by the economic crisis to come out the other end of restructuring.
    • 2016 January 17, “What Weiner Reveals About Huma Abedin”, in Vanity Fair, retrieved 21 January 2016:
      This Sunday marks the debut of Weiner, a documentary that follows former congressman Anthony Weiner in his attempt to overcome a sexting scandal and run for mayor of New York City—only to be felled, somewhat inexplicably, by another sexting scandal.
  3. (sewing) To stitch down a protruding flap of fabric, as a seam allowance, or pleat.
    • 2006, Colette Wolff, The Art of Manipulating Fabric, page 296:
      To fell seam allowances, catch the lining underneath before emerging 1/4" (6mm) ahead, and 1/8" (3mm) to 1/4" (6mm) into the seam allowance.
Derived terms
[edit]
Translations
[edit]

Noun

[edit]
The fell, or stitched down portion of a kilt

fell (plural fells)

  1. A cutting-down of timber.
  2. The stitching down of a fold of cloth; specifically, the portion of a kilt, from the waist to the seat, where the pleats are stitched down.
  3. (textiles) The end of a web, formed by the last thread of the weft.
Derived terms
[edit]
Translations
[edit]

Etymology 2

[edit]

From Middle English fell, fel, vel, from Old English fel, fell (“hide, skin, pelt”), from Proto-West Germanic *fell, from Proto-Germanic *fellą, from Proto-Indo-European *pél-no- (“skin, animal hide”).

See also West Frisian fel, Dutch vel, German Fell, Latin pellis (“skin”), Lithuanian plėnė (“skin”), Russian плена́ (plená, “pelt”), Albanian plah (“to cover”), Ancient Greek πέλλᾱς (péllās, “skin”). Related to film, felt, pell, and pelt.

Noun

[edit]

fell (plural fells)

  1. (archaic, rare) Skin, hide, pelt.
Derived terms
[edit]
Translations
[edit]

Etymology 3

[edit]
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

From Middle English fell, felle, from Old Norse fell (fjall, fiæl, “mountain range or mountain terrain above the tree line”), from Proto-Germanic *felzą, *fel(e)zaz, *falisaz (compare German Felsen 'boulder, cliff', Middle Low German vels 'hill, mountain'), from Proto-Indo-European *pels-; compare Irish aill (“boulder, cliff”), Ancient Greek πέλλα (pélla, “stone”), Pashto پرښه (parṣ̌a, “rock, rocky ledge”), Sanskrit पाषाण (pāṣāṇa, “stone”). Doublet of fjeld.

Cognates includes: Danish fjeld (fjæld), Faroese fjall (fjøll), Icelandic fjall (fell), Norwegian fjell (fjøll, fjødd, fjedd, fjedl, fjill, fill, fil, fel), Swedish fjäll (Old Swedish fiæl).

Noun

[edit]

fell (plural fells)

  1. (geography) High and barren landscape feature such as a mountain range or mountain terrain above the tree line.
  3. (archaic outside Northern England, Scotland) A rocky ridge or chain of mountains, particularly in the British Isles or Fennoscandia.
    • 1886, Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr, The Squire of Sandal-Side : A Pastoral Romance‎[4]:
      Every now and then the sea calls some farmer or shepherd, and the restless drop in his veins gives him no peace till he has found his way over the hills and fells to the port of Whitehaven, and gone back to the cradling bosom that rocked his ancestors.
    • 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit:
      The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
      While hammers fell like ringing bells,
      In places deep, where dark things sleep,
      In hollow halls beneath the fells.
    • 1970, James Herriot, If Only They Could Talk:
      I got out and from where I stood, high at the head, I could see all of the strangely formed cleft in the hills, its steep sides grooved and furrowed by countless streams feeding the boisterous Halden Beck which tumbled over its rocky bed far below. Down there, were trees and some cultivated fields, but immediately behind me the wild country came crowding in on the bowl where the farmhouse lay. Halsten Pike, Alstang, Birnside—the huge fells with their barbarous names were very near.
    • 1971, Catherine Cookson, The Dwelling Place:
      She didn't know at first why she stepped off the road and climbed the bank on to the fells; it wasn't until she found herself skirting a disused quarry that she realised where she was making for, and when she reached the place she stood and gazed at it. It was a hollow within an outcrop of rock, not large enough to call a cave but deep enough to shelter eight people from the rain, and with room to spare.
    • 1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 46:
      So the noble prince proceeded undismayed
      up fells and screes, along narrow footpaths
      and ways where they were forced into single file,
      ledges on cliffs above lairs of water-monsters.
  4. (archaic outside Northern England, Scotland) A wild field or upland moor.
    • 1612, Michael Drayton, Poly-Olbion, song 11 p. 174:
      As over Holt and Heath, as thorough Frith and Fell;
    • 1948 March and April, O. S. Nock, “Scottish Night Mails of the L.M.S.R.—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 77:
      The night continued beautifully clear and fine, and as we came into the fell country the outlines of the hills showed up dark against the starlit sky.
    • 1955 April, W. J. Alcock, “Unforgettable Moments”, in Railway Magazine, page 271:
      I remember the sudden drop in the note of the station bell, as we roar through, perhaps with 16 coaches; sweep up to milepost 9½, and then, with increasing thunder from the exhaust, fairly rush the fells at Milnthorpe at the foot of the climb to Grayrigg, until the steady thunderous beat re-echoes past Mosedale Hall, still at 40 m.p.h.
    • 2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 57:
      And there are few better ways to enjoy the rugged bleakness of the fells than from a nice warm train, especially when the weather's constantly changing as the day slips away.
    • 2023 June 29, Metro, London, page 15, column 3:
      An artist dubbed the Borrowdale Banksy has created this slate work on a Lake District fell after past efforts were vandalised.
[edit]
Derived terms
[edit]
Translations
[edit]

Etymology 4

[edit]

    From Middle English fel, fell (“strong, fierce, terrible, cruel, angry”), either from Old French fel[1] or from Old English *fel, *felo, *fæle (“cruel, savage, fierce”) (only in compounds, wælfel (“bloodthirsty”), ealfelo (“evil, baleful”), ælfæle (“very dire”), etc.), from Proto-West Germanic *fali, *falu, from Proto-Germanic *faluz (“wicked, cruel, terrifying”). Cognate with Old Frisian fal (“cruel”), Middle Dutch fel (“wrathful, cruel, bad, base”), German Low German fell (“rash, swift”), Danish fæl (“disgusting, hideous, ghastly, grim”). Compare also Middle High German vālant (“imp”) and Dutch fel (“fierce, feisty, bitter”). See felon.

    Adjective

    [edit]

    fell (comparative feller, superlative fellest)

    1. Of a strong and cruel nature; eager and unsparing; grim; fierce; ruthless; savage.
      Synonyms: diabolical, sadistic, spiteful; see also Thesaurus:cruel, Thesaurus:savage
      one fell swoop
    2. (UK dialectal, Scotland) Strong and fiery; biting; keen; sharp; pungent
    3. (UK dialectal, Scotland) Very large; huge.
    4. (obsolete) Eager; earnest; intent.
    Translations
    [edit]

    Adverb

    [edit]

    fell (comparative more fell, superlative most fell)

    1. Sharply; fiercely.
    Derived terms
    [edit]

    Etymology 5

    [edit]

    Perhaps from Latin fel (“gall, poison, bitterness”), or more probably from the adjective above.

    Noun

    [edit]

    fell (uncountable)

    1. (obsolete, rare) Anger; gall; melancholy.

    Etymology 6

    [edit]

    Noun

    [edit]

    fell

    1. (mining) The finer portions of ore, which go through the meshes when the ore is sorted by sifting.

    Etymology 7

    [edit]

    Verb

    [edit]

    fell

    1. simple past of fall
    2. (now colloquial) past participle of fall
      • 1650, Micheel Sandivogius, translated by J. F., A New Light of Alchymie: Taken Out of the Fountaine of Nature, and Manuall Experience […] ‎[5], London: Richard Cotes, page 121:
        For I have heard that my Enemies have fell into that ſnare which they laid for mee. They which would have taken away my life have loſt their own; […]
      • 1796, Thomas Bennett, The Life and Remarkable Conversion of T. Bennett, Etc. [Written by Himself.]‎[6], London, →ISBN, page 31:
        I ſhould have fell overboard, or been killed by the enemy ; for having ſo many things to carry along with me, which I knew not how to uſe […]
      • 2013 October 3, John McGahern, Collected Stories‎[7], Faber & Faber, →ISBN, page 147:
        And when it got to ten past I said you must have fell in with company, but I was beginning to get worried.' 'You know I never fall in with company,' he protested irritably. 'I always leave the Royal at ten to, never a minute more nor less.'

    References

    [edit]
    1. ^ “fell”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

    Further reading

    [edit]

    Albanian

    [edit]

    Etymology

    [edit]

    From Proto-Albanian *spesla, metathesized form of *spelsa, from Proto-Indo-European *pels- (“rock, boulder”), variant of *spel- (“to cleave, break”). Compare Latin hydronym Pelso, Latin Palatium, Pashto پرښه (parša, “rock, rocky ledge”), Ancient Greek πέλλα (pélla, “stone”), German Felsen (“boulder, cliff”). Mostly dialectal, used in Gheg Albanian.

    Adverb

    [edit]

    fell

    1. deep, shallow (clarification of this definition is needed (why antonym is here?).)

    Derived terms

    [edit]
    [edit]

    Cornish

    [edit]

    Etymology

    [edit]

    Perhaps an alteration of Middle Cornish felen (under influence from Middle English fell), itself a mutation of Middle Cornish melen/milen, which being equivalent to the modern word milus (“brutal”).[1]

    Adjective

    [edit]

    fell

    1. grim; cruel; fierce

    References

    [edit]
    1. ^ Williams, Robert (1865), “felen”, in Lexicon Cornu-Britannicum: A Dictionary of the Ancient Celtic Language of Cornwall, in which the Words are elucidated by Copious Examples from the Cornish Works now remaining; With Translations in English​, London: Trubner & Co., pages 147, 205

    Icelandic

    [edit]

    Pronunciation

    [edit]

    Etymology 1

    [edit]

    From Old Norse fjall (“mountain”).

    Noun

    [edit]

    fell n (genitive singular fells, nominative plural fell)

    1. isolated hill, isolated mountain
    Declension
    [edit]
    Declension of fell (neuter)
    singular plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative fell fellið fell fellin
    accusative fell fellið fell fellin
    dative felli fellinu fellum fellunum
    genitive fells fellsins fella fellanna

    Etymology 2

    [edit]

    Verb

    [edit]

    fell

    1. first-person singular present indicative active of falla

    Middle English

    [edit]

    Etymology 1

    [edit]

    Adjective

    [edit]

    fell

    1. alternative form of fele (“good”)

    Etymology 2

    [edit]

    Noun

    [edit]

    fell

    1. alternative form of fille

    Etymology 3

    [edit]

    Verb

    [edit]

    fell

    1. (Northern) alternative form of fellen

    Norwegian Bokmål

    [edit]

    Verb

    [edit]

    fell

    1. imperative of felle

    Norwegian Nynorsk

    [edit]

    Etymology 1

    [edit]

    Verb

    [edit]

    fell

    1. present of falle

    Etymology 2

    [edit]

    Verb

    [edit]

    fell

    1. imperative of fella

    Old English

    [edit]

    Alternative forms

    [edit]

    Etymology

    [edit]

    From Proto-West Germanic *fell, whence also Old High German vel.

    Pronunciation

    [edit]

    Noun

    [edit]

    fell n

    1. fell, skin

    Old Irish

    [edit]

    Pronunciation

    [edit]

    Etymology 1

    [edit]

      From Proto-Celtic *welsos (“error, deceit”).

      Noun

      [edit]

      fell m (genitive fill)

      1. deceit, treachery
      Declension
      [edit]
      Masculine o-stem
      singular dual plural
      nominative fell — —
      vocative fill — —
      accusative fellN — —
      genitive fillL — —
      dative fiullL — —
      Initial mutations of a following adjective:
      • H = triggers aspiration
      • L = triggers lenition
      • N = triggers nasalization
      Descendants
      [edit]
      • Irish: feall
      • Manx: foall
      • Scottish Gaelic: feall
      • ⇒ Middle Irish: fellaid
      Further reading
      [edit]

      Etymology 2

      [edit]

        Alteration of pell (“horse”), a specialized use of pell (“pelt”), from Latin pellis.

        Noun

        [edit]

        fell m (genitive fill, nominative plural fill)

        1. horse
        Declension
        [edit]
        Masculine o-stem
        singular dual plural
        nominative fell fellL fillL
        vocative fill fellL felluH
        accusative fellN fellL felluH
        genitive fillL fell fellN
        dative fiullL fellaib fellaib
        Initial mutations of a following adjective:
        • H = triggers aspiration
        • L = triggers lenition
        • N = triggers nasalization
        Further reading
        [edit]

        Mutation

        [edit]
        Mutation of fell
        radical lenition nasalization
        fell ḟell fell
        pronounced with /β̃ʲ-/

        Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
        All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

        Old Norse

        [edit]

        Noun

        [edit]

        fell ?

        1. alternative form of fjall.

        Verb

        [edit]

        fell

        1. inflection of falla:
          1. first-person singular present/past active indicative
          2. third-person singular past active indicative
        Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=fell&oldid=89596383"