Part 92

the felicities of her wonderful reign.

Atterbury.

3. A pleasing faculty or accomplishment; as, felicity in painting portraits, or in writing or talking. "Felicity of expression." Bp. Warburton.

Syn. -- Happiness; bliss; beatitude; blessedness; blissfulness. See Happiness.

Fe"line (?), a. [L. felinus, fr. feles, felis, cat, prob. orig., the fruitful: cf. F. fÈlin. See Fetus.] 1. (Zoˆl.) Catlike; of or pertaining to the genus Felis, or family FelidÊ; as, the feline race; feline voracity.

2. Characteristic of cats; sly; stealthy; treacherous; as, a feline nature; feline manners.

||Fe"lis (?), n. [L., cat.] (Zoˆl.) A genus of carnivorous mammals, ||including the domestic cat, the lion, tiger, panther, and similar ||animals.

Fell (?), imp. of Fall.

Fell, a. [OE. fel, OF. fel cruel, fierce, perfidious; cf. AS. fel (only in comp.) OF. fel, as a noun also accus. felon, is fr. LL. felo, of unknown origin; cf. Arm fall evil, Ir. feal, Arm. falloni treachery, Ir. & Gael. feall to betray; or cf. OHG. fillan to flay, torment, akin to E. fell skin. Cf. Felon.] 1. Cruel; barbarous; inhuman; fierce; savage; ravenous.

While we devise fell tortures for thy faults.

Shak.

2. Eager; earnest; intent. [Obs.]

I am so fell to my business.

Pepys.

Fell, n. [Cf. L. fel gall, bile, or E. fell, a.] Gall; anger; melancholy. [Obs.]

Untroubled of vile fear or bitter fell.

Spenser.

Fell, n. [AS. fell; akin to D. vel, OHG. fel, G. fell, Icel. fell (in comp.), Goth fill in ˛rutsfill leprosy, L. pellis skin, G. &?;. Cf. Film, Peel, Pell, n.] A skin or hide of a beast with the wool or hair on; a pelt; -- used chiefly in composition, as woolfell.

We are still handling our ewes, and their fells, you know, are greasy.

Shak.

Fell (?), n. [Icel. fell, fjally; akin to Sw. fj‰ll a ridge or chain of mountains, Dan. fjeld mountain, rock and prob. to G. fels rock, or perh. to feld field, E. field.] 1. A barren or rocky hill. T. Gray.

2. A wild field; a moor. Dryton.

Fell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Felling.] [AS. fellan, a causative verb fr. feallan to fall; akin to D. vellen, G. f‰llen, Icel. fella, Sw. f‰lla, Dan. fÊlde. See Fall, v. i.] To cause to fall; to prostrate; to bring down or to the ground; to cut down.

Stand, or I'll fell thee down.

Shak.

Fell, n. (Mining) The finer portions of ore which go through the meshes, when the ore is sorted by sifting.

Fell, v. t. [Cf. Gael. fill to fold, plait, Sw. fÂll a hem.] To sew or hem; -- said of seams.

Fell, n. 1. (Sewing) A form of seam joining two pieces of cloth, the edges being folded together and the stitches taken through both thicknesses.