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• feller
  feller

  noun

  fellow.
• Feller
  Feller

  noun

  Robert William Andrew BobBullet Bob, 1918–2010, U.S. baseball player.

feller

¹ American  

[fel-er] / ˈfɛl ər /

noun

Informal.

1. fellow.

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feller ² American  

[fel-er] / ˈfɛl ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that fells.

2. Sewing. a person or thing that finishes a seam by felling.

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Feller ³ American  

[fel-er] / ˈfɛl ər /

noun

1. Robert William Andrew BobBullet Bob, 1918–2010, U.S. baseball player.

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feller ¹ British  

/ ˈfɛlə /

noun

1. a person or thing that fells

2. an attachment on a sewing machine for felling seams

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feller ² British  

/ ˈfɛlə /

noun

1. a nonstandard variant of fellow

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Usage

What does feller mean? Feller is a very informal way of saying fellow—a general term for a man or boy. It can also be used to refer to a male animal, especially a pet, as in Look at this cute little feller!It’s often paired with an adjective, as in handsome feller or big feller. Less commonly, feller can be used as an informal term of address similar to terms like dude, buddy, or pal, as in Hey, feller, what’s new with you? It can also be used by a man to refer to himself, as in Where can a feller find a hot meal around here?The related term fella is also a variant of fellow and is thought to come from an altered pronunciation of feller. Fella is also very informal. Most senses of feller and fella sound old-timey and aren’t commonly used (other than to sound old-timey or to be funny). Feller is especially associated with rural speakers. Unrelatedly, feller also means someone who fells things—cuts them down—such as a lumberjack. In sewing, to fell is to finish a seam by sewing the edge down flat. In this context, feller can refer to a person who finishes a seam in this way or to a sewing machine attachment that does it. Example: That lumberjack-looking feller was in here not a half hour ago asking for directions.

Etymology

Origin of feller¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; originally dialect; by reduction of (ō) to (ə) and merger with words ending in -er

Origin of feller²

First recorded in 1350–1400, feller is from the Middle English word fellere. See fell ², -er ¹

Example Sentences

Green Diamond forestry crews quickly mobilized, using bulldozers and feller bunchers to carve out lines to try to block the flames’ advance.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 16, 2023

We even have a little one as a companion — a little drone-like feller named B-12.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2022

An old saying in our state holds that “when a feller says, ‘It ain’t the money, it’s the principle of the thing’ … it’s the money.”

From Washington Post • Mar. 21, 2022

Did face a feller who was in the Majors three months later in high school.

From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2016

“Last buyin’ trip I took,” he said, “a New York feller got to talkin’ bout Southern ladies rockin’ on the porch at five o’clock ever evenin’.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Related Words

• dude
• fellow
• lad
• man