Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian fel (West Frisian fel ), Old Saxon fel (Middle Low German vel ), Old Dutch fel (Middle Dutch vel , Dutch vel ), Old High German fel (Middle High German vel , German Fell ), Old Icelandic -fjall (only in the compound berfjall bearskin), all in senses ‘skin’ (up to the early modern period denoting both animal and human skin, later only the former) and ‘hide’, Old Swedish fiäl , fiäll , fiäld scale of a fish (Swedish fjäll also denoting a scale of a bird), Gothic -fill (only in the compounds þrutsfill ‘leprosy’ and faurafilli ‘foreskin’) < the same Indo-European base (with assimilation of the -n- suffix) as ancient Greek πέλλα , classical Latin pellis skin, Old Church Slavonic pelena swaddling cloth, (with different ablaut grade in the root: zero-grade) Russian plena membrane, Czech plena swaddling cloth, membrane, Old Prussian pleynis , Lithuanian plėnė , both in sense ‘membrane’, and (with different suffix) film n.

Etymology: < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic fjall, Old Swedish fiäl (Swedish fjäll), Old Danish feld (Danish fjæld, fjeld), all in senses ‘mountain’ and ‘elevated stretch of land’, in Danish also in sense ‘rock’), probably (with consonantal assimilation *-lz- > -ll-) < a different ablaut grade of the same Germanic base as Old High German felis, fels rock, cliff, large stone (Middle High German vels, German Fels rock) < a different ablaut grade (o-grade) of the same Indo-European base as (with zero-grade) Early Irish all cliff.Further etymology. Although ancient Greek πέλλα stone (in a gloss in Hesychius) is often cited as a further cognate, it is likely that it is a borrowing from a non-Indo-European language. A suggested relationship of the (suffixed) Sanskrit pāṣāṇa ‘stone’ with the Germanic and Celtic forms is also uncertain. An alternative suggestion that the German noun may reflect a pre-Indo-European substrate word is now considered unlikely. In support of this suggestion, Middle Dutch (rare) vels ‘rock’ and Old Saxon felis , filis , Middle Low German vels ‘rock, large stone’ have sometimes been taken as cognates of the Old High German noun, but two of them are now generally considered to show borrowings from various stages of German (the Old Saxon noun from Old High German, the Middle Low German noun probably via Luther's translation of the Bible), and this is also possible for the rare Middle Dutch noun. Use in place names. Both the sense ‘mountain, hill’ and the sense ‘elevated stretch of uncultivated land’ occur in topographical names. Sense 1 occurs in proper names of hills especially in the north-west of England, as Bowfell, Scafell, etc.:1673 R. Blome Britannia 132 Amongst which Hills these are of chief note, viz. Furness Fells, Riving Pike, and Pendle Hill.1738 Defoe's Tour Great Brit. (ed. 2) III. 190 This Derwent is famous for its springing out of those Hills called Derwent Fells.1827 R. Southey Select. from Lett. (1856) IV. 369 A day in London is more wearying to me than a walk up Scawfell.1872 H. I. Jenkinson Guide Eng. Lake District (1879) 218 Between Esk Hause and Bow Fell is a mountain called Hanging Knott, which can be scaled from the top of the Hause in about twenty minutes.1888 C. T. Clough Geol. Cheviot Hills i. 2 The highest point is the Cheviot, 2,676 feet above the sea level. After this come, in order, Hedgehope, 2,348 feet; Comb Fell, 2,132 feet, [etc.].1905 S. J. Weyman Starvecrow Farm 209 And now the screes of Bow Fell, flecked with snow, were not more cold and hard than her face.1996 Guardian 4 Jan. 11/1 He yearned to lead the crux pitch of Central Buttress on Scafell.Sense 2 occurs in place names, especially in the north-east of England, but also elsewhere (quot. 1795 refers to the Campsie Fells in Scotland; quot. 1921 to a nature reserve in Massachusetts):1795 Statist. Acct. Stirlingshire XV. 327 (Jam.) Then 15 strata of muirstone rise above each other to the summit of the Fells..in the face of the braes, they go by the name of dasses or gerrocks.1827 E. Mackenzie Descr. & Hist. Acct. Newcastle I. 2 Here commenced one of the great military roads of the Romans, which, passing Gateshead Fell, proceeded to Chester in the Street.1921 F. S. Mathews Field Bk. Wild Birds & their Music (rev. ed.) 195 The last time I saw him he was wagging his tail in a tree by the roadside in the Middlesex Fells. Early use in surnames. Earlier currency is probably implied by use as a surname in northern counties of England, e.g. Rob. del Fel, Henr. del fel (both 1277–8), Roger del Fel (1318), all from Cumberland, Thoma del Fell', Johannes del Fell' (both 1379, Westmoreland and Lancashire).

Etymology: < fell v. Compare earlier fall n.²

Etymology: Origin unknown.

Etymology: < the name of John Fell (1625–86), dean of Christ Church and bishop of Oxford.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French fel (French regional (northern, Walloon) fel ) disloyal, treacherous, deceitful (10th cent.), fierce, savage, cruel (12th cent.), (of a thing) deadly, terrible (first attested later than in English: late 14th cent.), use as adjective of Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French fel , nominative case of Anglo-Norman feloun , felun , Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French felon felon n.¹Compare Old Occitan fel sad, irritated (late 12th or early 13th cent.), and also ( < Old French) Italian fello evil, hostile, aggressive, fierce (late 12th cent.). Specific senses. Several senses ( A. 1a, A. 2a, A. 3b) show specific semantic developments with a positive connotation. Of these, sense A. 1a appears to lack a parallel in French, while the specific sense ‘doughty, valiant’ is not paralleled in French until later (late 14th cent.). Specific forms. With the form felle perhaps compare Middle French (Picardy, Walloon) felle cruel, terrible (late 15th cent.).