/ fel; NAmE / noun , verb , adjective
—see also fall
■ noun
a hill or an area of hills in northern England
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
to cut down a tree
2.
( literary ) to make sb fall to the ground :
He felled his opponent with a single blow.
■ adjective
( literary ) very evil or violent
•
IDIOMS
- at / in one fell swoop
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb Old English fellan , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vellen and German fällen , also to fall .
noun Middle English : from Old Norse fjall , fell hill; probably related to German Fels rock.
at / in one fell swoop. Middle English : from Old French fel , nominative of felon wicked (person), from medieval Latin fello , fellon- , of unknown origin.