fell | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

76 entries found.

"rocky hill," c. 1300, from Old Norse fiall "mountain," from Proto-Germanic *felzam- "rock" (source also of Old High German felisa, German Fels "stone, rock"), from PIE root *pel(i)s- "rock, cliff." Old High German felisa "a rock" is the source of French falaise (formerly falize) "cliff." Now mostly in place-names, such as Scafell Pike, highest mountain in England.

fell (v.2)

past tense of fall (v.), Old English feoll.

fell (n.2)

"skin or hide of an animal," Old English fel "skin, hide, garment of skin," from Proto-Germanic *fella- (source also of Old Frisian fel, Old Saxon fel, Dutch vel, Old High German fel, German fell, Old Norse fiall, Gothic fill "skin, hide"), from PIE *pel-no-, suffixed form of root *pel- (3) "skin, hide." Related: Fellmonger.

fell (v.1)

Old English fællan (Mercian), fyllan (West Saxon) "make fall, cause to fall," also "strike down, demolish, kill," from Proto-Germanic *falljanan "strike down, cause to fall" (source also of Old Frisian falla, Old Saxon fellian, Dutch fellen, Old High German fellen, German fällen, Old Norse fella, Danish fælde), causative of *fallanan (source of Old English feallan; see fall (v.)), showing i-mutation. Related: Felled; feller; felling.

fell (adj.)

"cruel," late 13c., possibly late Old English, perhaps from Old French fel "cruel, fierce, vicious," from Medieval Latin fello "villain" (see felon). Phrase at one fell swoop is from "Macbeth." Related: Fellness.

feller (n.)

"one who fells (trees, etc.)," c. 1400, agent noun from fell (v.1). For the casual pronunciation of "fellow," see fella.

*pel- (3)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "skin, hide."

It forms all or part of: erysipelas; fell (n.2) "skin or hide of an animal;" film; pell; pellagra; pellicle; pelt (n.) "skin of a fur-bearing animal;" pillion; surplice.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek pella, Latin pellis "skin;" Old English filmen "membrane, thin skin, foreskin."

blindfold (v.)

"to cover the eyes to hinder from seeing," a mistaken formation ultimately from Old English (ge)blindfellian "to strike blind," from blind (adj.) + Anglian gefeollan "to strike down, make fall, cause to fall" (see fell (v.1)).

This became Middle English blindfellen "to strike blind," also "to cover (the eyes) to block vision" (c. 1200). This was most common in the past-participle, blindfelled, blindfeld," whence the -d was, in the 15th c., erroneously admitted to the stem of the vb." [OED]. It was further altered early 16c. by similarity to fold, from the notion of "folding" a band of cloth over the eyes. Related: Blindfolded; blindfolding.

log (v.1)

"to fell trees for logs," 1717; earlier "to strip a tree" to make it a log (1690s), from log (n.1). Related: Logged; logging (n.1).

gyromancy (n.)

1550s, method of divination said to have been practiced by a person walking in a circle marked with characters or signs till he fell from dizziness, the inference being drawn from the place in the circle at which he fell; from Medieval Latin gyromantia, from Greek gyyros "circle" (see gyro- (n.)) + manteia "divination, oracle" (see -mancy).

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