feller

¹

[ fel-er ]

noun

, Informal.

1. fellow.

feller

²

[ fel-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that fells.
2. Sewing. a person or thing that finishes a seam by felling.

Feller

³

[ fel-er ]

noun

1. Robert William Andrew BobBullet Bob, 1918–2010, U.S. baseball player.

feller

¹

/ ˈfɛlə /

noun

1. See fellow
   a nonstandard variant of fellow

feller

²

/ ˈfɛlə /

noun

1. a person or thing that fells
2. an attachment on a sewing machine for felling seams

Word History and Origins

Origin of feller¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; originally dialect; by reduction of (ō) to (ə) and merger with words ending in -er

Origin of feller²

First recorded in 1350–1400, feller is from the Middle English word fellere. See fell ², -er ¹

Example Sentences

Feller, the star pitcher, embodied the new business sense of athletes.

From Washington Post

Feller is no longer on the City Council, so the city will have a new SANDAG representative.

From Voice of San Diego

Council members Rodriguez and Feller voted in favor of the project in November.

From Voice of San Diego

It surely however gives a certain type of feller a thrill, dark and shameful though it may be.

From The Daily Beast

Feller also represents victim No. 2, whose story was the subject of bombshell trial testimony.

From The Daily Beast

“It was super fun,” says a slightly out-of-breath 10 year-old Samuel Feller after three laps on the track.

From The Daily Beast

Vunce I seen a feller–I hat some snakes here in algohol–unt dat feller he trunk de algohol.

From Project Gutenberg

Thar was a young man named Jeames Hambrick along and another young feller, he got to fooling with his pistil, and he shot Jeames.

From Project Gutenberg

I bet a feller can skate in the streeton the sidewalkalmost anywhere this morning, declared Chet, with enthusiasm.

From Project Gutenberg

Let some feller come in here with a gen'ral store, sellin' for cash—and cuttin' prices, eh?

From Project Gutenberg

And, young feller, if things turns out for me like I think they will, you're goin' to quit bein' a lawyer one of these days.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dude
• fellow
• lad
• man

More About Feller

What does feller mean?

Feller is a very informal way of saying fellow—a general term for a man or boy.

It can also be used to refer to a male animal, especially a pet, as in Look at this cute little feller!

It’s often paired with an adjective, as in handsome feller or big feller. 

Less commonly, feller can be used as an informal term of address similar to terms like dude, buddy, or pal, as in Hey, feller, what’s new with you? It can also be used by a man to refer to himself, as in Where can a feller find a hot meal around here?

The related term fella is also a variant of fellow and is thought to come from an altered pronunciation of feller. Fella is also very informal. Most senses of feller and fella sound old-timey and aren’t commonly used (other than to sound old-timey or to be funny). Feller is especially associated with rural speakers.

Unrelatedly, feller also means someone who fells things—cuts them down—such as a lumberjack.

In sewing, to fell is to finish a seam by sewing the edge down flat. In this context, feller can refer to a person who finishes a seam in this way or to a sewing machine attachment that does it.

Example: That lumberjack-looking feller was in here not a half hour ago asking for directions.

Where does feller come from?

The first records of the word feller come from around 1700. It’s a variant of the word fellow.

Though fella and feller are very similar, fella is commonly used in some ways that feller is not. For example, the plural form fellas is used by men or boys as an informal and familiar way to refer to their male friends (the fellas) or as a way to address them. In this way, it’s used in much the same way as the term guys, as in Jen’s having a night out with the ladies, so I’m going to stay here and hang with the fellas. It’s possible to use fellers in this way, but it’s not at all common.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to feller?

• fellers (plural)

What are some synonyms for feller?

 

• fella
• guy
• boy
• man
• dude

What are some words that share a root or word element with feller? 

 

• fellow
• fella

What are some words that often get used in discussing feller?

• big
• handsome
• friend
• buddy
• pal

How is feller used in real life?

The term feller is very informal. It’s typically used in a humorous way.

Texting one handsome feller (;

— Dud ✨ (@dsevere_) February 3, 2012

Met some feller for our first date 13 years ago. Happy First-Date-A-Versary @3045hobart. Another 13 and our daughter will be off to college 😱 pic.twitter.com/oSiNJehylr

— Raymond J Lee (@raymondjlee) February 19, 2020

Found a little feller :) pic.twitter.com/EFhYTuPMMa

— Allister🇦🇺 (@AllisterThorne) July 19, 2020

 

 

Try using feller!

Is feller used correctly in the following sentence?

He may be a young feller, but he sure is clever!