fell

Meanings

Verb

• To make something fall; especially to chop down a tree.
• To strike down, kill, destroy.
• To stitch down a protruding flap of fabric, as a seam allowance, or pleat.
• Past of fall
• Past participle of fall

Noun

• A cutting-down of timber.
• 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.
• The end of a web, formed by the last thread of the weft.
• An animal skin, hide, pelt.
• Human skin .
• A rocky ridge or chain of mountains.
• A wild field or upland moor.
• Anger; gall; melancholy.
• The finer portions of ore, which go through the meshes when the ore is sorted by sifting.

Adjective

• Of a strong and cruel nature; eager and unsparing; grim; fierce; ruthless; savage.
• Strong and fiery; biting; keen; sharp; pungent
• Very large; huge.
• Eager; earnest; intent.

Adverb

• Sharply; fiercely.

Origin

• From Middle English fellen, from Old English fellan, fiellan, from Proto-Germanic *fallijaną, causative of Proto-Germanic *fallaną, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₃lH- ("to fall"). Cognate with Dutch vellen, German fällen, Danish fælde, Norwegian felle.
• From Middle English fell, fel, vel, from Old English fel, fell, from Proto-Germanic *fellą (compare West Frisian fel, Dutch vel, German Fell), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- ("skin, animal hide") (compare Latin pellis ("skin"), Lithuanian plėnė ("skin"), Russian плена́ ("pelt"), Albanian plah ("to cover"), Ancient Greek πέλλᾱς ("skin")). Related to film and pell.
• From Old Norse fell, fjall, compare Norwegian Bokmål fjell 'mountain', Danish fjeld 'mountain', from Proto-Germanic *felzą, *fel(e)zaz, *falisaz (compare German Felsen 'boulder, cliff', Middle Low German vels 'hill, mountain'), from Proto-Indo-European *pelso; compare Irish aill ("boulder, cliff"), Ancient Greek πέλλα, Pashto پرښه ("rock, rocky ledge"), Sanskrit पाषाण ("stone"). Doublet of fjeld.
• From Middle English fel, fell, from Old English *fel, *felo, *fæle (only in compounds, wælfel, ealfelu, ælfæle, etc.), from Proto-Germanic *faluz ("wicked, cruel, terrifying"), from Proto-Indo-European *pol- ("to pour, flow, swim, fly"). Cognate with Old Frisian fal ("cruel"), Middle Dutch fel ("wrathful, cruel, bad, base"), German Low German fell, Danish fæl ("disgusting, hideous, ghastly, grim"), Middle High German vālant ("imp"). See felon.
• Perhaps from Latin fel ("gall, poison, bitterness"), or more probably from the adjective above.