Fella

Meaning of Old Norse word "fella"

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

Old Norse word fella can mean:fella

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, Vþm. 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, Róm. 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

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• Fella (I)