fell

¹

[ fel ]

verb

1. simple past tense of fall.

fell

²

[ fel ]

verb (used with object)

1. to knock, strike, shoot, or cut down; cause to fall: to fell a tree.

   to fell a moose;

   to fell a tree.

2. Sewing. to finish (a seam) by sewing the edge down flat.

noun

1. Lumbering. the amount of timber cut down in one season.
2. Sewing. a seam finished by felling.

fell

³

[ fel ]

adjective

1. fierce; ferocious; dreadful; savage.
2. destructive; deadly:

   fell poison;

   fell disease.

fell

⁴

[ fel ]

noun

, Chiefly Literary.

1. the skin or hide of an animal; pelt.

fell

⁵

[ fel ]

noun

, Scot. and North England.

1. an upland pasture, moor, or thicket; a highland plateau.

fell

¹

/ fɛl /

adjective

1. archaic.
   cruel or fierce; terrible
2. archaic.
   destructive or deadly

   a fell disease

3. one fell swoop
   a single hasty action or occurrence

fell

²

/ fɛl /

noun

1. often plural
   1. a mountain, hill, or tract of upland moor
   2. ( in combination )

      fell-walking

fell

³

/ fɛl /

noun

1. an animal skin or hide

fell

⁴

/ fɛl /

verb

1. the past tense of fall

fell

⁵

/ fɛl /

verb

1. to cut or knock down

   to fell a tree

   to fell an opponent

2. needlework to fold under and sew flat (the edges of a seam)

noun

1. the timber felled in one season
2. a seam finished by felling

Derived Forms

• ˈfellness, noun
• ˈfellable, adjective

Other Words From

• fell·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fell¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English fellen, fillen, fullen, Old English fellan, fyllan “to cut, cut down, destroy, shed (tears),” causative of feallan “to fall, fall down”; cognate with Gothic falljan, Old Frisian falla, fella, Old High German fellen, German fällen “to make fall”; fall

Origin of fell²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English fel “treacherous, deceitful, false,” from Old French, nominative of felon “wicked”; felon ¹

Origin of fell³

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English fel(l); cognate with Dutch vel, German Fell, Old Norse -fjall (as in berfjall “bearskin”), Gothic -fill (in thrutsfill “leprosy,” literally “scab skin”); akin to Latin pellis “skin, hide,” Greek péltē “small, light, leather-covered shield”

Origin of fell⁴

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English fel “hill, mountain; upland or pasture; a moor or down”; from Old Norse fjall, -fell, “hill, mountain,” akin to German Fels “rock, cliff”

Word History and Origins

Origin of fell¹

C13 fel , from Old French: cruel, from Medieval Latin fellō villain; see felon ¹

Origin of fell²

C13: from Old Norse fjall ; related to Old High German felis rock

Origin of fell³

Old English; related to Old High German fel skin, Old Norse berfjall bearskin, Latin pellis skin; see peel ¹

Origin of fell⁴

Old English fellan ; related to Old Norse fella , Old High German fellen ; see fall

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at / in one fell swoop. swoop ( def 5 ).

More idioms and phrases containing fell

see one fell swoop .

Related Words

• drop
• flatten
• raze
• shoot
• shoot down
• slash
• tumble