feal

== English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fiːl/ Rhymes: -iːl === Etymology 1 === 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”). ==== Alternative forms ==== feil, feel, feele, fiel ==== Adjective ==== feal (comparative fealer or more feal, superlative fealest or most feal) (UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) (of things) Cosy; clean; neat. (UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) (of persons) Comfortable; cosy; safe. (UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) Smooth; soft; downy; velvety. ===== Derived terms ===== fealy, feely ==== Adverb ==== feal (comparative fealer or more feal, superlative fealest or most feal) In a feal manner. === Etymology 2 === 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”). ==== Verb ==== feal (third-person singular simple present feals, present participle fealing, simple past and past participle fealed) (transitive, dialectal) To hide. === Etymology 3 === From Middle English felen (“to come at (one's enemies), advance”), from Old English fēolan (“to cleave, enter, penetrate”), from Proto-Germanic *felhaną. ==== Verb ==== feal (third-person singular simple present feals, present participle fealing, simple past fale or fealed, past participle folen or fealed) (obsolete) To press on, advance. ==== References ==== The Middle English Dictionary === Etymology 4 === Borrowed from Middle Scots feal, from Early Scots feal, from Old French feal, collateral form of feeil, from Latin fidelis. ==== Adjective ==== feal (comparative fealer or more feal, superlative fealest or most feal) (archaic) Faithful, loyal. ===== Derived terms ===== fealty === Etymology 5 === Unknown; see fail. ==== Noun ==== feal (plural feals) Alternative form of fail (“piece of turf cut from grassland”) === Anagrams === Lafe, Leaf, alef, flea, leaf == Galician == === Alternative forms === fial === Etymology === From feo (“hay”) +‎ -al, suffix which forms place names. From Latin fēnum (“hay”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /feˈal/ === Noun === feal m (plural feais) hayfield === References === Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “feal”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “feal”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “feal”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN == Middle English == === Alternative forms === feale, feall === Etymology === Probably borrowed from Anglo-Norman feal (“faithful”), earlier fedeil, from Latin fidēlis; compare feaute. In Middle English, reinterpreted as fe (“fee”) +‎ -al, influencing both the sense and form. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /feːˈaːl/, /ˈfeːal/ === Noun === feal (Early Scots, Scots law) A stipend or allowance given to someone. (rare) Ownership of land under feudalism. (rare) Fealty; feudal allegiance, fidelity, or loyalty. ==== Descendants ==== Middle Scots: feall, fiall Scots: feal, feele (obsolete) → English: feal ==== References ==== “feal(e, feall, n.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, reproduced from William A[lexander] Craigie, A[dam] J[ack] Aitken [et al.], editors, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1931–2002, →OCLC.