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 /

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

²

/ fɛl /

noun

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

      fell-walking

fell

³

/ fɛl /

noun

1. an animal skin or hide

fell

⁴

/ fɛl /

verb

1. the past tense of fall

fell

⁵

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈfellness, noun
• ˈfellable, adjective

Other Words From

• 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

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

Origin of fell²

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

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

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

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

In January 2019, Joshua Tree National Park temporarily closed as some visitors had reportedly been felling Joshua trees and making new roads through the park, The Washington Post reported.

From Washington Post

The latest data, for April, showed the area of trees felled remained at record monthly rates.

From Time

With the Weber grill pan, you can scoop items together in one fell swoop, saving time, energy, and ultimately, asparagus.

From The Daily Beast

Private landowners account for the vast majority of trees felled in the United States.

From Time

She understood that communities like hers had to make a living from the forest, and that meant felling trees.

From Washington Post

The man, Joshua Kemp, told what police describe as “a bogus story that quickly fell apart.”

From The Daily Beast

The EPA felt that the State Department had not looked carefully enough at the impact of the pipeline if oil prices fell.

From The Daily Beast

I took out my knife, my Ka-Bar, and knocked his teeth out, but they fell into his throat.

From The Daily Beast

In fact, Clark fell back first from her blows, losing his cap, tie, and badge in the melee.

From The Daily Beast

Summonses for low-level offenses like public drinking and urination fell 94 percent—from 4,831 to 300.

From The Daily Beast

With a suffocating gasp, she fell back into the chair on which she sat, and covered her face with her hands.

From Project Gutenberg

"Better so," was the Senora's sole reply; and she fell again into still deeper, more perplexed thought about the hidden treasure.

From Project Gutenberg

Every word that now fell from the agitated Empress was balm to the affrighted nerves of her daughter.

From Project Gutenberg

He did believe you, more or less, and what you said fell in with his own impressions—strange impressions that they were, poor man!

From Project Gutenberg

Ripperda's eye fell upon the mantle,—it was discoloured a dark red in many places, he nodded his head, and the man withdrew.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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