fell

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /fɛl/ UK /fɛl/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like fair /l/ vs /r/ Sounds like fail /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

Meanings

1

adj
fierce, cruel, or deadly; (also) to cut down

The hero slew the dragon in one fell stroke.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · fierce, cruel, or deadly;... fierce cruel savage deadly ruthless sinister dire

Opposites

benign gentle kind mild

Word family

Derived forms fellness

Related forms felon felony

Simplified etymology

Fell has several unrelated origins. The Old English verb meaning “cut down” is related to fall, while the Middle English noun meaning “hill” comes from Old Norse fjall. The Middle English adjective meaning “wicked” came from an Old French word for something wicked or a wicked person and shares its root with felon and felony; this adjective survives in at one fell swoop.

Etymology

In the sense 'fierce, cruel, deadly', from Old French 'fel' ('cruel, fierce, vicious'), from Medieval Latin 'fellō' ('villain, traitor'), the source also of 'felon'; of uncertain ultimate origin.

fel Old French fellō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# fell

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /fɛl/
**IPA (UK):** /fɛl/

## Meanings
1. fierce, cruel, or deadly; (also) to cut down

## Examples
- The hero slew the dragon in one fell stroke.

## Synonyms
- fierce
- cruel
- savage
- deadly
- ruthless
- sinister
- dire

## Antonyms
- benign
- gentle
- kind
- mild

## Derived Forms
- fellness

## Related Forms
- felon
- felony

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fel
- Root: fellō

## Etymology
In the sense 'fierce, cruel, deadly', from Old French 'fel' ('cruel, fierce, vicious'), from Medieval Latin 'fellō' ('villain, traitor'), the source also of 'felon'; of uncertain ultimate origin.

## AI Etymology
Fell is in the sense 'fierce, cruel, deadly', from Old French 'fel' ('cruel, fierce, vicious'), from Medieval Latin 'fellō' ('villain, traitor'), the source also of 'felon'; of uncertain ultimate origin. In present-day use, it means fierce, cruel, or deadly; (also) to cut down. Derived formations include fellness. Related vocabulary includes felon and felony.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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