fell
1[ fel ]
/ fɛl /
verb
simple past tense of fall.
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Question 1 of 9
“I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”
Words nearby fell
Definition for fell (2 of 5)
fell2
[ fel ]
/ fɛl /
verb (used with object)
to knock, strike, shoot, or cut down; cause to fall: to fell a moose; to fell a tree.
Sewing. to finish (a seam) by sewing the edge down flat.
noun
Lumbering. the amount of timber cut down in one season.
Sewing. a seam finished by felling.
Origin of fell
2before 900; Middle English fellen,Old English fellan, causative of feallan to fall; cognate with Gothic falljan to cause to fall
Definition for fell (3 of 5)
fell3
[ fel ]
/ fɛl /
adjective
fierce; cruel; dreadful; savage.
destructive; deadly: fell poison; fell disease.
Origin of fell
3OTHER WORDS FROM fell
fellness, nounDefinition for fell (4 of 5)
fell4
[ fel ]
/ fɛl /
noun
the skin or hide of an animal; pelt.
Origin of fell
4before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch vel,German Fell,Old Norse -fjall (in berfjall bear-skin), Gothic -fill (in thrutsfill scab-skin, leprosy); akin to Latin pellis skin, hide
Definition for fell (5 of 5)
fell5
[ fel ]
/ fɛl /
noun Scot. and North England.
an upland pasture, moor, or thicket; a highland plateau.
Origin of fell
51300–50; Middle English <Old Norse fell,fjall hill, mountain, akin to German Felsen rock, cliff
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for fell
British Dictionary definitions for fell (1 of 5)
fell1
/ (fɛl) /
verb (tr)
to cut or knock downto fell a tree; to fell an opponent
needlework to fold under and sew flat (the edges of a seam)
noun
US and Canadian the timber felled in one season
a seam finished by felling
Derived forms of fell
fellable, adjectiveWord Origin for fell
Old English fellan; related to Old Norse fella, Old High German fellen; see fall
British Dictionary definitions for fell (2 of 5)
fell2
/ (fɛl) /
adjective
archaic cruel or fierce; terrible
archaic destructive or deadlya fell disease
one fell swoop a single hasty action or occurrence
Derived forms of fell
fellness, nounWord Origin for fell
C13 fel, from Old French: cruel, from Medieval Latin fellō villain; see felon 1
British Dictionary definitions for fell (3 of 5)
British Dictionary definitions for fell (4 of 5)
fell4
/ (fɛl) /
noun
an animal skin or hide
Word Origin for fell
Old English; related to Old High German fel skin, Old Norse berfjall bearskin, Latin pellis skin; see peel 1
British Dictionary definitions for fell (5 of 5)
fell5
/ (fɛl) /
noun
(often plural) Northern English and Scot
- a mountain, hill, or tract of upland moor
- (in combination)fell-walking
Word Origin for fell
C13: from Old Norse fjall; related to Old High German felis rock
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with fell
fell
see one fell swoop.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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