Fell
/fɛl/noun
A cruel or deadly thing; also a harsh, barren hill or moor in northern English usage.
Did you know?In older English, fell could mean “cruel” or “deadly,” and it survives in phrases like “fell swoop,” where the word keeps its ancient, ominous force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“to strike, beat, or drive”
Old English
OE
fel
“cruel, fierce, deadly”
Old English
OE
fell
“skin, hide”
Old Norse
ON
fjall
“mountain, hill”
Middle English
ME
fell
“cruel, fierce; a hill or mountain in northern dialects”
Modern English
English
fell
“harsh, cruel, deadly; a high, barren hill, especially in northern England”