feal

feal · adjective, adverb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*pey-“to adore”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*failijaz“true, friendly, familiar, good”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*failī
4. Old English · inherited fromfǣle“faithful, trusty, good; dear, beloved”
5. Middle English · inherited fromfele
6. English todayfeal

From Middle English fele, fæle (“proper, of the right sort”), from Old English fǣle (“faithful, trusty, good; dear, beloved”), from Proto-West Germanic *failī, from Proto-Germanic *failijaz (“true, friendly, familiar, good”), from Proto-Indo-European *pey- (“to adore”). Cognate with Scots feel, feelie (“cosy, neat, clean, comfortable”), West Frisian feilich (“safe”), Dutch veil (“for-sale”), Dutch veilig (“safe”), German feil (“for-sale”), Latin pīus (“good, dutiful, faithful, devout, pious”).

feal · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*pele(w)-
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*felhaną“to conceal, hide, bury, trust, intrude”
3. Old Norse · derived fromfela“to hide”
4. Middle English · inherited fromfelen
5. English todayfeal

From Middle English felen, from Old Norse fela (“to hide”), from Proto-Germanic *felhaną (“to conceal, hide, bury, trust, intrude”), from Proto-Indo-European *pele(w)-, *plē(w)- (“to hide”). Cognate with Old High German felahan (“to pass, trust, sow”), Old English fēolan (“to cleave, enter, penetrate”).

feal · verb³

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*felhaną
2. Old English · inherited fromfēolan“to cleave, enter, penetrate”
3. Middle English · inherited fromfelen“to come at (one's enemies), advance”
4. English todayfeal

From Middle English felen (“to come at (one's enemies), advance”), from Old English fēolan (“to cleave, enter, penetrate”), from Proto-Germanic *felhaną.

feal · adjective⁴

1. Latin · derived fromfidelis
2. Old French · derived fromfeal
3. Early Scots · derived fromfeal
4. Middle Scots · borrowed fromfeal
5. English todayfeal

Borrowed from Middle Scots feal, from Early Scots feal, from Old French feal, collateral form of feeil, from Latin fidelis.

feal · noun⁵

Unknown; see fail.

Words from the same roots