fell

³fell

Definition of FELL

past of fall

¹fell

noun \ˈfel\

Definition of FELL

1

: skin, hide, pelt

2

: a thin tough membrane covering a carcass directly under the hide

Origin of FELL

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German fel skin, Latin pellis

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Fur and Leather Terms

chamois, kip

Rhymes with FELL

bel, bell, belle, cel, cell, dell, dwell, el, ell, gel, Hel, hell, jell, knell, l, mell, quell, sell, shell, smell, snell, spell, swell, tell, well, yell

²fell

transitive verb

Definition of FELL

1

a : to cut, knock, or bring down <fell a tree>

b : kill

2

: to sew (a seam) by folding one raw edge under the other and sewing flat on the wrong side

— fell·able \ˈfe-lə-bəl\ adjective

— fell·er noun

Examples of FELL

1. using an ax to fell a tree
2. He's strong enough to fell an ox.

Origin of FELL

Middle English, from Old English fellan; akin to Old English feallan to fall — more at fall

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to FELL

Synonyms

bowl (down or over), down, drop, floor, knock down, knock over, level, mow (down), prostrate

Antonyms

animate

Related Words

kayo, knock out, KO; overthrow, throw down, topple; bang, bash, belt, bludgeon, clobber, hammer, hit, jab, paste, poke, pound, punch, slam, slap, slog, slug, smack, smite, sock, swat, swipe, thump, thwack, wallop, whack, whale

Near Antonyms

raise, restore, resurrect, resuscitate, revive; nurture

Other Handicraft Terms

biscuit, darn, tambour, wrought

⁴fell

adjective

Definition of FELL

1

a : fierce, cruel, terrible

b : sinister, malevolent <a fell purpose>

c : very destructive : deadly <a fell disease>

2

Scottish : sharp, pungent

— fell·ness noun

— fel·ly \ˈfel-lē\ adverb

Examples of FELL

1. <planning in the event that the enemy resorted to biological warfare and released some fell virus on the civilian population>
2. <Captain Cook died in a scuffle with some fell natives of the Hawaiian Islands.>

Origin of FELL

Middle English fel, from Anglo-French — more at felon

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to FELL

Synonyms

baleful, deathly, fatal, deadly, killer, lethal, mortal, murderous, pestilent, terminal, vital

Antonyms

healthful, healthy, nonfatal, nonlethal, wholesome

Related Words

baneful, deleterious, destructive, harmful, injurious, noxious, pernicious, truculent; infectious, infective, pestilential, poisonous, sublethal, toxic, virulent; dangerous, grave, grievous, hazardous, jeopardizing, menacing, parlous, perilous, risky, serious, threatening, ugly, unhealthy, unsound; bloody, internecine, sanguinary, sanguine

Near Antonyms

beneficial, restorative, salubrious, salutary; alleviative, corrective, curative, remedial, tonic; advantageous, beneficial, useful; nonpoisonous, nontoxic, safe

⁵fell

noun

Definition of FELL

dialect British

: a high barren field or moor

Origin of FELL

Middle English, from Old Norse fell, fjall mountain; akin to Old High German felis rock

First Known Use: 14th century