fell
fell Lexical Profile
fell Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To have dropped, descended, or come down from a higher position to a lower one (past simple form of 'fall').
"Autumn leaves fell quietly onto the damp garden path overnight."
To cut down a tree.
"The arborists had to fell the diseased elm before winter storms could blow it over."
To knock, strike, or bring someone or something down to the ground.
"A sudden bout of the flu felled half the office staff during the busiest week of the quarter."
To stitch or fold down the raw edge of a seam flat against the fabric to prevent fraying (in sewing).
"The tailor carefully felled the inside seams of the linen jacket for a clean, durable finish."
• adjective
Of terrible evil, ferocity, or deadliness; destructive and ruthless (used primarily in literary contexts or in the phrase 'in one fell swoop').
"The company eliminated three entire departments in one fell swoop during the restructuring."
• noun
British A high, barren hill, mountain, or stretch of elevated moorland, especially in northern England and Scotland.
"Hikers spent the afternoon trekking across the windswept fells of the Lake District."
The total amount of timber cut down in a single season or operation.
"Foresters recorded a smaller fell this winter to ensure sustainable woodland regeneration."
An animal's hide or skin together with its hair or wool.
"The merchant inspected the thick sheepskin fell before purchasing it for winter garments."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a verb, 'fell' is both the past tense of the intransitive verb 'fall' (as in 'he fell down') and a distinct transitive base verb meaning to cut or knock down (conjugated 'felled, felling', as in 'they felled the tree'). The adjective 'fell' (meaning fierce or deadly) is primarily literary or preserved in the fixed idiom 'in one fell swoop'.
• Rhymes for fell
Word Origin & Etymology
The transitive verb 'fell' (to cut down) derives from Old English 'fellan', the causative form of 'feallan' (to fall). The noun meaning a barren hill comes from Old Norse 'fjall' (mountain), while the literary adjective meaning fierce or deadly stems from Old French 'fel' (cruel, wicked), which is also the root of 'felon'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.