fell etymology

Etymology

The word "fell" has two distinct etymologies, depending on its meaning:

1. To cut down or knock down

• Old English "fyllan" (to strike, beat, fell)
• Proto-Germanic "*fulljaną" (to strike, kill, fill)
• Proto-Indo-European "*bʰleH-" (to strike, split, break)

2. A barren moorland or hill

• Old English "fell" (fell, hill, mountain)
• Proto-Germanic "*falþaz" (flat land, plain)

Meaning and Origin

1. To cut down or knock down

• In this sense, "fell" means to cut down a tree or other object. It also means to knock someone down or defeat them.
• The word is related to "full," as in "to fill up," because the act of felling something involved filling the resulting space with the fallen object.

2. A barren moorland or hill

• In this sense, "fell" refers to a stretch of open, uncultivated land, often characterized by rolling hills or mountains.
• The word is thought to have originated from the flat, treeless landscapes that are common in northern England.

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