fell

For the verb: "to fall"

Simple Past:	fell
Past Participle:	fallen

Multiple Entries:
  fell    fall  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
fell1

past of fall.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
fell2

▶verb

• 1 cut down (a tree).

  ■ knock down.

• 2 (also flat-fell) stitch down (the edge of a seam) to lie flat.

▶noun an amount of wood cut.

– derivatives
feller noun.

– origin OE fellan, of Gmc origin; rel. to fall.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
fell3

▶noun a hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern England.

– origin ME: from ON fjall, fell ‘hill’.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
fell4

▶adjective literary of terrible evil or ferocity.

– phrases
in (or at) one fell swoop all in one go. [from Shakespeare's Macbeth (iv. iii. 219).]

– origin ME: from OFr. fel, nominative of felon (see felon1).

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
fell5

▶noun archaic an animal's hide or skin with its hair.

– origin OE fel, fell, of Gmc origin.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
fall/fɔːl/

▶verb (past fell; past part. fallen)

• 1 move from a higher to a lower level, typically rapidly and without control.

  ■ (fall off) become detached and drop to the ground.

  ■ hang down.

  ■ slope downwards.

  ■ (of a person's face) show dismay or disappointment by appearing to droop.

• 2 cease to be standing or upright; collapse.

• 3 decrease in number, amount, intensity, or quality.

• 4 pass into a specified state: the buildings fell into disrepair.

  ■ occur or arrive.

  ■ (fall to doing something) begin to do something.

• 5 be captured or defeated.

  ■ Cricket (of a wicket) be taken by the bowling side.

  ■ archaic yield to temptation.

• 6 be classified in the way specified.

▶noun

• 1 an act of falling.

  ■ Wrestling a move which pins the opponent's shoulders on the ground for a count of three.

  ■ a downward difference in height between parts of a surface.

  ■ a sudden onset or arrival.

• 2 a thing which falls or has fallen.

  ■ a waterfall.

• 3 a decrease.

• 4 a defeat or downfall.

  ■ (the Fall of Man) the lapse of humankind into a state of sin, ascribed in Jewish and Christian theology to the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

• 5 N. Amer. autumn.

– phrases
fall foul (or N. Amer. afoul) of come into conflict with.
fall in (or into) line conform. [with ref. to military formation.]
fall into place begin to make sense.
fall over oneself to do something informal be excessively eager to do something.
fall short (of)

• 1 (of a missile) fail to reach its target.

• 2 be deficient or inadequate.

take the fall N. Amer. informal incur blame or punishment in the place of another.

– phrasal verbs
fall about Brit. informal laugh uncontrollably.
fall apart (or to pieces) informal lose one's capacity to cope.
fall back retreat.
fall back on have recourse to when in difficulty.
fall down fail.
fall for informal

• 1 fall in love with.

• 2 be deceived by.

fall in take one's place in a military formation.
fall in with

• 1 meet by chance and become involved with.

• 2 agree to.

fall on/upon

• 1 attack fiercely or unexpectedly.

• 2 (of someone's eyes) be directed towards.

• 3 be the responsibility of.

fall out

• 1 have an argument.

• 2 leave one's place in a military formation.

• 3 happen.

fall through fail.
fall to become the duty of.

■ (of property) revert to the ownership of.

– origin OE fallan, feallan, of Gmc origin; the noun is partly from ON fall ‘downfall, sin’.