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fell¹

(fĕl)

tr.v. felled, fell·ing, fells

a. To cause to fall by striking; cut or knock down: fell a tree; fell an opponent in boxing.

b. To kill: was felled by an assassin's bullet.

2. To sew or finish (a seam) with the raw edges flattened, turned under, and stitched down.

1. The timber cut down in one season.

2. A felled seam.

[Middle English fellen, from Old English fellan, fyllan.]

fella·ble adj.

fell²

(fĕl)

adj.

1. Of an inhumanly cruel nature; fierce: fell hordes.

2. Capable of destroying; lethal: a fell blow.

3. Dire; sinister: by some fell chance.

4. Scots Sharp and biting.

Idiom:

at/in one fell swoop

All at once.

[Middle English fel, from Old French, variant of felon; see FELON¹.]

fellness n.

fell³

(fĕl)

1. The hide of an animal; a pelt.

2. A thin membrane directly beneath the hide.

[Middle English fel, from Old English fell; see pel-³ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

fell⁴

(fĕl)

1. Chiefly British An upland stretch of open country; a moor.

2. A barren or stony hill.

[Middle English fel, from Old Norse fell, fjall, mountain, hill.]

fell⁵

(fĕl)

Past tense of fall.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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