Fella

Old Norse Dictionary - fella

Meaning of Old Norse word "fella" in English.

As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:

fella Old Norse word can mean:

fella
d, a weak causal verb, answering to the strong neuter form falla; [absent in Goth.; A. S. fellan; Engl. fell; Germ. fällen; O. H. G. fallian; Swed. fälla; Dan. fælde.]
fella
A. [Answering to falla A], to fell, make fall; fella við, to fell timber, FmS. ii. 84; fella mann, to fell a man, defined in the law, Grág. Vsl. ch. 3, cp. ch. 31; fella tár, to let tears fall, Sighvat; fella mel-dropa, to let the drops fall,m. 14; fella segl, to take down sails, Bárð. 14; fella jörð undir e-m, to make the earth slip under one (by means of sorcery), BS. i. 12; fella vatn í fornan farveg, to make the stream flow in its old bed, Grág. ii. 281.
fella
2. to fell or slay, in battle, Eg. 80, 296, 495; Bróðir felldi Brján, Nj. 275; fella e-n frá landi, to slay or dethrone a king; hann hafði fellt hinn helga Ólaf konung frá landi, Orkn. 82; var felldr frá landi Haraldr Gráfeldr, H. Graycloak was slain, Fær. 38; síðan felldu þeir frá landi Hákon bróður minn, FmS. viii. 241, v. l.; fella her, val, etc., to make havoc, slaughter, (val-fall, strages), Lex. Poët.
fella
β. to lose sheep or cattle from cold or hunger (v. fellir); var vetr mikill ok felldu menn mjök fé sitt, Sturl. iii. 297.
fella
II. to make to cease, abolish; hann felldi blót ok blótdrykkjur, FmS. x. 393; f. niðr, to drop, put an end to, abandon; var hans villa svá niðr felld, Anecd. 98; þat felldi hann allt niðr, FmS. vii. 158; ef þú fellir niðr (gives up) þann átrúnað, ii. 88: to drop a prosecution, a law term, at konungr mundi þetta mál ekki niðr fella, vii. 127 (cp. niðr-fall at sökum); fella ræðu sína, to close one’s speech, ix. 331; þar skal niðr f. þrjá-tigi nátta, there shall [they] let drop thirty nights, i. e. thirty nights shall not be counted, Rb. 57; fella boð, f. herör, to drop the message, not let the arrow pass, n. G. l. i. 55, Gþl. 83 (vide boð, p. 71); fella skjót, to fail in supplying a vehicle, K. Á. 22.
fella
2. to lower, diminish; fella rétt manns, fella konungs sakar-eyri, Gþl. 185; hann skal fella hálfri mörk, [they] shall lower it, i. e. the value shall be lowered by half a mark, Grág. ii. 180.
fella
3. the phrases, fella heitstrenging (eið) á sik, to bring down on one’s head the curse for a breach of faith (vow, oath, etc.), Hrafn. 8.
fella
4. fella hold af, to starve so that the flesh falls away, K. Á. 200, K. Þ. K. 130; hence fella af, absol. ellipt. to become lean, starved; cp. af-feldr: the phrase, f. blótspán, q. v., p. 71; fella dóm, to pass sentence, is mod., borrowed from Germ.
fella
B. [Answering to falla B], to join, fit:
fella
I. a joiner’s term, to frame, tongue and groove; fella innan kofann allan ok þilja, BS. i. 194; felld súð, a framed board, wainscot, FmS. vi. (in a verse), hence fellisúð; fella stokk á horn, to put a board on the horns of a savage bull, Eb. 324; eru fastir viðir saman negldir, þó eigi sé vel felldir, the boards are fast when nailed together, they are not tongued and grooved, Skálda 192 (felling); fella stein í skörð, to fit a stone to the crevice,m. 247: metaph., fella lok á e-t, to bring to an end, prop. to fit a cover to it, Grág. i. 67: also a blacksmith’s term, fella járn, to work iron into bars, Þiðr. 79.
fella
II. metaph. in the phrases, fella ást, hug, skilning, etc., til e-s, to turn one’s love, mind, etc., towards one; fellim várn skilning til einskis af öllum þeim, Stj. 4; Geirmundr felldi hug til Þuríðar, G. fell in love with Th., Ld. 114; Þórðr bar eigi auðnu til at fellasvá mikla ást til Helgu, sem vera átti, i. e. they did not agree, Sturl. i. 194; fella bæn at e-m, to apply prayer to one, beg of him, Ísl. ii. 481; fella sik við e-t, to fit oneself to a thing; ek hefi byrjað þitt erindi, ok allan mik við fellt, and have done my best, 655 xxxii. 13; felldi Þorkell sik mjök við umræðuna, Th. took a warm part in the debate, Ld. 322; hence such phrases as, fella sig (eigi) við e-t, to take pleasure (or not) in a thing; fella saman orð sín, to make one’s words agree, Grág. i. 53: to appropriate, fellir hann með því dalinn sér til vistar, Sd. 137.
fella
III. part. felldr, as adj. = fallinn; svá felldr, so fitted, such; með svá felldum máta, in such a way, Rb. 248; vera vel (illa etc.) felldr til e-s, to be well (ill) fitted for a thing, FmS. xi. 76; gamall ok þó ekki til felldr, BS. i. 472, FmS. iii. 70; Hallgerðr kvað hann sér vel felldan til verkstjóra, H. said he was well fitted to be her steward, Nj. 57, v. l.: neut., þér er ekki fellt (it is not fit for thee) at ganga á greipr mönnum Haralds, FmS. vi. 210; svá lízt oss sem slíkum málum sé vel fellt at svara, such cases are well worth consideration, Ld. 90; ekki héldu þeir vel lög þau nema þat er þeim þótti fellt, they observed not the rules except what seemed them fit, Hkr. i. 169; þeirrar stundar er honum þótti til fellt, the time that seemed him fit, BS. i. 161: in many compds, geð-felldr, skap-f., hug-f., pleasant, agreeable; hag-felldr, practical; sí-felldr, continuous.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᚠᛁᛚᛚᛅ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements

Similar entries:

Abbreviations used:

A. S.
Anglo-Saxon.
Dan.
Danish.
Engl.
English.
Germ.
German.
gl.
glossary.
Goth.
Gothic.
l.
line.
m.
masculine.
n.
neuter.
O. H. G.
Old High German.
S.
Saga.
Swed.
Swedish.
ch.
chapter.
cp.
compare.
etc.
et cetera.
v.
vide.
v. l.
varia lectio.
f.
feminine.
i. e.
id est.
L.
Linnæus.
absol.
absolute, absolutely.
ellipt.
elliptical, elliptically.
mod.
modern.
q. v.
quod vide.
metaph.
metaphorical, metaphorically.
prop.
proper, properly.
adj.
adjective.
neut.
neuter.
part.
participle.

Works & Authors cited:

Bárð.
Bárðar Saga. (D. V.)
Bs.
Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Grág.
Grágás. (B. I.)
Vsl.
Vígslóði. (B. I.)
Vþm.
Vafþrúðnis-mál. (A. I.)
Eg.
Egils Saga. (D. II.)
Fær.
Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)
Lex. Poët.
Lexicon Poëticum by Sveinbjörn Egilsson, 1860.
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
Orkn.
Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)
Sturl.
Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)
Anecd.
Anecdoton. (H. II.)
Gþl.
Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)
K. Á.
Kristinn-réttr Árna biskups. (B. III.)
N. G. L.
Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Rb.
Rímbegla. (H. III.)
Hrafn.
Hrafnkels Saga. (D. II.)
K. Þ. K.
Kristinn-réttr Þorláks ok Ketils = Kristinna-laga-þáttr. (B. I.)
Eb.
Eyrbyggja Saga. (D. II.)
Róm.
Rómverja Saga. (E. II.)
Skálda
Skálda. (H. I.)
Þiðr.
Þiðreks Saga. (G. I.)
Ld.
Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Sd.
Svarfdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Stj.
Stjórn. (F. I.)
Th.
Theophilus. (F. III.)
Hkr.
Heimskringla. (E. I.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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