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 /

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

fell

²

/ 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

³

/ fɛl /

verb

1. the past tense of fall

fell

⁴

/ fɛl /

noun

1. an animal skin or hide

fell

⁵

/ fɛl /

noun

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

      fell-walking

Derived Forms

• ˈfellable, adjective
• ˈfellness, noun

Other Word Forms

• 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

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

Origin of fell²

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

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

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

More idioms and phrases containing fell

see one fell swoop .

Example Sentences

But it is not just great; it is glorious, like something that fell from the pop heavens after months upon years of drought.

From Salon

The hiker and a companion had wandered off the remote 53-mile hiking path that follows the northern California coastline of redwoods and black sand beaches when one of them fell 100 feet.

From Los Angeles Times

The council said it had reported the felling as criminal damage to the Met Police, which is understood to have closed its inquiry, deeming it a civil matter.

From BBC

As the case dragged on, his mental health had deteriorated, so much that he was unfit to testify and eventually fell into homelessness, becoming estranged from his family, including his 10-year-old son.

From Los Angeles Times

George had been happily playing with his brother and sister before he fell ill very suddenly, just days after his first birthday in 2012.

From BBC

Related Words

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