Where does “fell” come from?
fell (Middle English) comes from Old English fēl, from Old English fīil, from Proto-Germanic finhlō, from Proto-Indo-European peyḱ- — to hew, cut out; to stitch, embroider, sting; to...
fell (Middle English): strong, fierce, terrible, cruel, angry
Definitions
- strong, fierce, terrible, cruel, angry
Ancestry of “fell”, step by step
fell traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English fēl
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | fēl | — |
| 2 | Old English | fīil | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | finhlō | rasp; file |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | peyḱ- | to hew, cut out; to stitch, embroider, sting; to... |
via Old Norse fell
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | fell | — |