fellah

[ fel-uh ]

/ ˈfɛl ə /

noun, plural fel·lahs, Arabic fel·la·hin, fel·la·heen [fel-uh-heen] /ˌfɛl əˈhin/.

a native peasant or laborer in Egypt, Syria, etc.

Nearby words

Origin of fellah

First recorded in 1735–45, fellah is from the Arabic word fallāḥ peasant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fellah

In the olden days the lot of the fellah was not quite so happy as it might have been.
The Khedive's Country|George Manville Fenn
Exactness, tidiness, and pride in his work are qualities very rarely found in a fellah.
The Khedive's Country|George Manville Fenn
He was a fine open-faced young man, without any of the clownishness of the fellah, and spoke in a free and easy but gentle manner.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 462|Various
Say, it makes my eyes water sometimes to see the fellah slogging away.
The Weavers, Complete|Gilbert Parker

Did we know the story—story about a fellah—fellah who had an aunt, you know?
Nights in London|Thomas Burke

British Dictionary definitions for fellah

fellah

/ (ˈfɛlə) /

noun plural fellahs, fellahin or fellaheen (ˌfɛləˈhiːn)

a peasant in Arab countries

Word Origin for fellah

C18: from Arabic, dialect variant of fallāh, from falaha to cultivate

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

Word Origin and History for fellah

fellah

"Egyptian peasant," 1743, from Arabic fallah "plowman," from falaha "to till the soil."