Definition of fell

The English word "fell" has an interesting etymological history. It originated from the Old Norse word "fallr," which means "sheet of rock" or "rock face." The Old Norse word was borrowed by the Old English language around the 10th century, where it was used to describe a rectangular slab of wood, particularly one used in the early stages of woodworking. As the Middle English language developed in the 12th century, "fell" began to take on a two-fold meaning. It continued to be used to describe wood, but it also came to refer to animals that had been killed, specifically the skin or pelt of the animal after it had been dressed (i.e., cleaned and prepared for tanning). This use of "fell" is thought to have arisen because in the process of preparing animal pelts for use, the hides would be stretched over wooden frames called "fell frames." The use of "fell" to describe wood or timber persisted in the English language, particularly in dialects spoken in northern England and Scotland, where it is still heard today. The use of "fell" to describe dressed animal pelts has largely fallen out of use in modern English, but it can still be seen in the older forms of certain words, such as "felting," which originally referred to the process of shrinking and matting wool fibers by felting a woolen garment with water and friction. In summary, the English word "fell" has evolved significantly over time, starting as an Old Norse description of a rock face, becoming a term for rectangular sheets of wood in Old English, and eventually coming to describe dressed animal pelts in Middle English. Its continued use in certain dialects of English today serves as a testament to its rich linguistic history.