fell
v. · n. · adj.-
1 past tense of fall (v.) A2 Elementarythe past tense of the word 'fall'.
the simple past tense of the intransitive verb 'fall'.
ExampleThe temperature fell quickly as soon as the sun went down.
ExampleThe stock market fell sharply following the announcement of the new trade restrictions, wiping out months of steady gains in a single afternoon.
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2 to cut down (v.) B2 Upper Intermediateto cut down a tree or knock someone down with a blow.
to cause to fall by cutting, knocking, or striking. Transitive — requires a direct object.
ExampleThe workers had to fell the old oak tree because it was rotting.
ExampleThe lumberjacks were hired to fell the diseased timber before the infestation could spread to the healthier parts of the forest.
- cut down
- knock down
- flatten
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3 a hill or moor (n.) C1 Advanced British English Dialecta high, rocky hill or a wild area of open land, common in Northern England.
a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or upland moor. Often associated with the geography of Northern England and Scandinavia.
ExampleWe spent the whole afternoon walking across the fells in the Lake District.
ExampleThe hikers struggled to find the path as a thick mist descended over the fells, obscuring the rocky ridges and steep drops.
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4 cruel or deadly (adj.) C2 Proficiency Literaryvery cruel, fierce, or deadly.
of a strong and cruel nature; eager and unsparing. Often used in the fixed phrase 'in one fell swoop'.
ExampleThe king's fell plan was to take over the neighbouring lands by force.
ExampleThe entire village was destroyed in one fell swoop, leaving the survivors to wonder how such a catastrophe could occur so suddenly.
From Middle English fellen, from Old English fellan, fiellan (“to cause to fall, strike down, fell, cut down, throw down, defeat, destroy, kill, tumble, cause to stumble”), from Proto-West Germanic fallijan, from Proto-Germanic fallijaną (“to fell, to cause to fall”), causative of Proto-Germanic fallaną (“to fall”), from Proto-Indo-European h₂peh₃lH-. Cognate with Dutch vellen (“to fell, cut down”), German fällen (“to fell”), Danish fælde (“to fell”), Norwegian felle (“to fell”).
From Middle English fell, fel, vel, from Old English fel, fell (“hide, skin, pelt”), from Proto-West Germanic fell, from Proto-Germanic fellą, from Proto-Indo-European *pél-no- (“skin, animal hide”). See also West Frisian fel, Dutch vel, German Fell, Latin pellis (“skin”), Lithuanian plėnė (“skin”), Russian плена́ (plená, “pelt”), Albanian plah (“to cover”), Ancient Greek πέλλᾱς (péllās, “skin”). Related to film, felt, pell, and pelt.
From Middle English fell, felle, from Old Norse fell (fjall, fiæl, “mountain range or mountain terrain above the tree line”), from Proto-Germanic felzą, fel(e)zaz, falisaz (compare German Felsen 'boulder, cliff', Middle Low German vels 'hill, mountain'), from Proto-Indo-European pels-; compare Irish aill (“boulder, cliff”), Ancient Greek πέλλα (pélla, “stone”), Pashto پرښه (parṣ̌a, “rock, rocky ledge”), Sanskrit पाषाण (pāṣāṇa, “stone”). Doublet of fjeld. Cognates includes: Danish fjeld (fjæld), Faroese fjall (fjøll), Icelandic fjall (fell), Norwegian fjell (fjøll, fjødd, fjedd, fjedl, fjill, fill, fil, fel), Swedish fjäll (Old Swedish fiæl).
From Middle English fel, fell (“strong, fierce, terrible, cruel, angry”), either from Old French fel or from Old English fel, felo, fæle (“cruel, savage, fierce”) (only in compounds, wælfel (“bloodthirsty”), ealfelo (“evil, baleful”), ælfæle (“very dire”), etc.), from Proto-West Germanic fali, falu, from Proto-Germanic faluz (“wicked, cruel, terrifying”). Cognate with Old Frisian fal (“cruel”), Middle Dutch fel (“wrathful, cruel, bad, base”), German Low German fell (“rash, swift”), Danish fæl (“disgusting, hideous, ghastly, grim”). Compare also Middle High German vālant (“imp”) and Dutch fel (“fierce, feisty, bitter”). See felon.
Perhaps from Latin fel (“gall, poison, bitterness”), or more probably from the adjective above.