▪ I. † fele, adv. (quasi-n.) and a. Obs.
Forms: α. 1–2 fela, feola, north. feolu, feolo, 2–4 feole, (3 feola, fole), 3–4 fale, 3–6 feil(l(e, 4–5 feel(e, 4–6 fel(e, fell(e. β. (2 veale), 3 vale, (væle, veole), 3–4 vele. Compar. 4 feler, 5 felire.
[OE. feolo, feolu (Mercian and Northumb.), feola, fela (WSax.) are respectively the accus. and the oblique case neuter (used adverbially, and hence as quasi-n.) of a Com. Teut. adj., of which the other Teut. langs. have in their early forms only the accus. neut. as adv. and quasi-n.: OFris. felo, OS. filo, filu (Du. veel), OHG. filu, filo (MHG. vil, vile, mod.Ger. viel, the latter also inflected as adj.), ON. fiǫl (chiefly in comb.), Goth. filu:—OTeut. *felu:—pre- Teut. *pélu (with ablaut-var. *pol{uacu}) much; cf. Skr. pur{uacu}, Gr. πολύς, OIr. il.]
A. adv.
1. To a great extent or degree, much. Also in so, too fele.
| Beowulf 1379 Þær þu findan miht fela-synnigne secᵹ. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke vii. 47 Forðon lufade feolo. c 1000 Wife's Compl. 26 (Gr.) Sceal ic..mines fela leofan fæhðu dreogan. a 1250 Prov. ælfred 196 in O.E. Misc. (1872) 114 Ne ilef þu nouht to fele uppe þe see. a 1300 Cursor M. 8991 (Cott.) Thoru wimmen þat he luued sa fele. c 1300 Havelok 2442 He bounden him so fele sore. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1884 Syn þe fre is so faire, & so fele vertus. c 1470 Henry Wallace i. 56 Fell awfull in effer. 1598 Hakluyt Voy. I. 192 The Beere, That they drinken feele too good chepe. |
2. quasi-n. Much, a great number or quantity. Chiefly with partitive genitive. Often qualified by how, like, so, too.
After the OE. period this use is seldom distinguishable from the adj.; later instances are placed here only when their grammatical character is evidenced by inflexion of the following n.
| Beowulf 1060 Fela sceal ᵹebidan leofes and laðes. c 825 Vesp. Psalter lxv[i]. 16 Ic seg[c]o eow alle ða ondredað dryhten hu feolu dyde sawle minre. a 900 Charter in O.E. Texts (1885) 444, & swae feola sufla. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 19 Fela ic hæbbe ᵹeþolod todæᵹ þurh ᵹesyhðe for hym. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 208 Ne forlæt þu þæs blodes to fela on ænne siþ. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 9 Monie and feole oðre godere werke. a 1300 Sinners Beware 87 in O.E. Misc. 75 Sunnen seouene þat bringeþ vt of heouene Swiþe vele manne. |
B. adj. (Indeclinable; but as the word after 11th c. was used all but exclusively of multitude, not of quantity, the final e was prob. felt in ME. as a pl. ending. A solitary instance of felen dat. pl. occurs in the Ayenbite.)
1. With n. in pl. Many. Often preceded by as, how, so; also in many and fele.
| O.E. Chron. an. 963 (Laud MS.) Se biscop..bohte þa feola cotlif æt se king. Ibid. an. 1124 Fela soðfeste men sæidon [etc.]. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 117 Fela stuntnesse beoð. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3067 Suche stones, so grete & so uale. a 1300 Cursor M. 18268 (Cott.) Hu fele pines ai sal þou fele. c 1305 Land Cokayne 95 Þer beþ briddes mani and fale. 1340 Ayenb. 5 Þou ne sselt habbe uele godes. 1382 Wyclif Gen. xxiv. 22 As feel arm serclis. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 586 Sekemen come þedur mony and ffele. c 1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 1110 He..hadde..of the quene many gyftis fele. c 1500 Lancelot 768 Galiot haith chargit hyme to tak Als fell folk. 1513 Douglas æneis i. i. 83 Sa fele ȝeris. 1598 Hakluyt Voy. I. 201 So fele shippes this yeere there ware, That moch losse for vnfreyght they bare. |
b. With n. in sing. Much.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4050 (Cott.) Þat..sufferd sa fele peril. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 1392 That so fele folk led obowt. c 1440 Generydes 6701 With kysseng fele. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 54 Feill folk als out of Germania. |
2. In predicative use: Much, many, numerous. Also in compar.: More in number, more numerous.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 14079 (Cott.) Þe folk him foluand was ful fell. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1391, I wowche hit saf fynly, þaȝ feler hit were. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 528 So fale folewen þe folk. c 1400 Destr. Troy 4869 Þai are feler of folke. a 1400–50 Alexander 2084 A pake out of nounbre, Felire þan his folke be full fyue thousand. |
3. absol. in pl. Many persons.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 107 He mei findan fele þe beoð bet iþoȝen and istoȝen þene he. c 1200 Ormin 7640 Fele shulenn fallenn & fele shulenn risenn upp. a 1300 Cursor M. 8495 (Cott.) Þis writte wit fele was red and sene. 1340 Ayenb. 102 God, þet..yefþ more bleþeliche..to uelen þanne to onen allone. 1375 Barbour Bruce xvi. 641 In sum bargis sa feill can ga..That thai ourtummyllit. c 1450 Bk. Curtasye 522 in Babees Bk. (1868) 316 Few ar trew, but fele ar fals. |
b. quasi-n. Many of. Cf. A. 2.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7012 (Cott.) Fourti thusand of israel, O beniamin negh als fel. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 547 Fele of þise poyntes. a 1455 Holland Howlat 522 Feile of the fals folk, that fled of befor. |
4. In comb. with n., forming an adj., as fele-kyn, of many kinds, various; or an adv., as fele-sith, fele-syss, feltymes many times, often. Also felefold.
| c 1200 Ormin 3573 Hire sune wass himm lic O fele kinne wise. [c 1205 Lay. 1717 On feole kunne wisen.] a 1300 Cursor M. 28380 (Cott.) Oure fele-sith haf i ben to spend þe gode wit skil þat godd me send. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1483 Of mony kyndes, of fele-kyn hues. 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 651 Felesyss, quhen thou art away. Ibid. xx. 225 That ȝhe haf done till me feill siss. 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xx. 18 Hou ofte sithes and hou fele shul thei scorne hym? c 1400 Destr. Troy 3014 Of hir fairehede feltymes hade þe freike herd. |
▪ II. † fele, a.2 Obs.
Also 3 felle, 4 fale, feele, fel, 5 fall. See also fiel.
[OE. fǽle, corresp. to OHG. feili purchasable (mod.G. feil).]
a. In OE.: One's own; dear, faithful, good. b. In ME.: Proper, of the right sort, good.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Gr.) lxxviii. [lxxix.] 1 Þin fæle hus. Ibid. cxviii. [cxix.] 105 Þæt is fæle blæcern minum fotum. a 1250 Owl & Night. 1376 Ah schaltu, wrecche, luve tele..vich luve is fele, Bi-tweone wepmon and wimmane? 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 399 As þei God..Made þat lond so feele To be celer of al heele. a 1400 Sir Perc. 729 Thou art fele, That thou ne wille away stele. |
▪ III. fele
obs. form of file v.2