fell
Noun pluralfells
Pluralfells
- 1Past tense of fall. Use it for the past.
The apple fell from the tree onto the grass.
She slipped and fell on the icy path.
UsageThe tree fell. But someone felled the tree.
- 2To cut down a tree, or to knock someone to the ground or kill them.
Like chopping a tall stick until it drops to the ground.
Loggers felled the old oak in less than an hour.
They plan to fell several diseased trees this spring.
UsageSay loggers felled the tree. The tree fell.
Similartopple, flatten, cut down
Note
- 3Very cruel and fierce, showing no mercy.
Like a hungry wolf that shows no mercy to its prey.
The dragon stared at them with fell, hungry eyes.
A fell storm swept down and destroyed the village.
UsageMostly in in one fell swoop: all at once.
Similarfierce, cruel, savage, ruthless, ferocious
Oppositegentle, kind, merciful, benign
Note
- 4
Less common meanings
- 5
- 6Past participle of fall. A nonstandard form used in place of 'fallen'.
By lunchtime he had fell asleep at his desk.
We had fell behind, so we hurried to catch up.
UsageSay had fallen (not
incorrect: had fell).Note
- 7To sew down a raised edge of cloth so that it lies flat.
Like folding tape over an edge and pressing it down flat.
Fell the edge so the seam won't come apart.
She felled the seams so the shirt would feel smooth inside.
Similarstitch
Note
- 8Very eager and set on doing something.
I am so fell to my business.
1667, Samuel Pepys, Mynors BrightHere, fell means eager and set on doing something.Note
- 9Bitter anger, or a heavy feeling of sadness.
Untroubled of vile fear or bitter fell.
1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie QueeneHere, fell means bitter anger or heavy sadness.I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day. / What hours, O what black hoürs we have spent / This night!
1885, Gerard Manley Hopkins, “[Poem 45]”Here, fell means a bitter, heavy sadness, felt in the dark.Note
- 10The flat, sewn-down part of a kilt between the waist and the seat, where the pleats are held in place.
- 11An animal's skin or hide. In old poems, it can also mean a person's skin.
Why, we are still handling our ewes, and their fells, you know, are greasy.
c. 1598, William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”Here, fells means the skins or hides of the sheep. - 12In a fierce or very sharp way.
- 13Very strong and sharp in taste or feeling.
- 14Very big: much bigger than normal.
- 15The edge of woven cloth made by the last thread carried across.
- 16The small bits of ore that fall through the holes when ore is sorted with a sieve.
Showing meanings only.
fell is a form of fall
fall, verb: To move down toward the ground because of gravity. Full entry
- Spelling
- fall → fell: irregular (no -ed)
Practice
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Origins
From Old English fellan, meaning to cause to fall or cut down. It is the causative form of the word for 'fall'.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The verb fell derives from Old English fellan. en.wiktionary.org
- The Old English verb meant to cause to fall or cut down. en.wiktionary.org
- Fell is historically the causative counterpart of fall. en.wiktionary.org
From Old Norse fell or fjall, meaning a hill or mountain.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The geographical noun fell comes from Old Norse fell, also represented by fjall. en.wikipedia.org
- Old Norse fjall means mountain. en.wiktionary.org
In Middle English it was fell, which meant fierce or cruel. It came from either an Old French word, fel, or Old English words that meant cruel or savage.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Middle English had fell meaning fierce or cruel. en.wiktionary.org
- Old French fel is one proposed origin. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English words meaning cruel or savage provide the alternative proposed origin. en.wiktionary.org
It most likely comes from the adjective fell, which means fierce. It might also come from Latin fel, which means "gall" or "bitterness."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- This sense of fell most likely derives from the adjective fell. en.wiktionary.org
- The adjective fell means fierce. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin fel, meaning gall or bitterness, is another possible source. en.wiktionary.org