*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of feal

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, go

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 5 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adv

In a feal manner.

adj

(of things) Cosy; clean; neat. · (of persons) Comfortable; cosy; safe. · Smooth; soft; downy; velvety.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fele"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fele"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "fǣle",
        "4": "",
        "5": "faithful, trusty, good; dear, beloved"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fǣle (“faithful, trusty, good; dear, beloved”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*failī"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *failī"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*failijaz",
        "4": "",
        "5": "true, friendly, familiar, good"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *failijaz (“true, friendly, familiar, good”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*pey-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to adore"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *pey- (“to adore”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "feel"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots feel"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "feilich",
        "3": "",
        "4": "safe"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian feilich (“safe”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "veil",
        "3": "",
        "4": "for-sale"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch veil (“for-sale”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "veilig",
        "3": "",
        "4": "safe"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch veilig (“safe”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "feil",
        "3": "",
        "4": "for-sale"
      },
      "expansion": "German feil (“for-sale”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "pīus",
        "3": "",
        "4": "good, dutiful, faithful, devout, pious"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin pīus (“good, dutiful, faithful, devout, pious”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fele",
      "fele#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fæle",
      "fæle#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fǣle",
      "fæle#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*failī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/failī"
    ],
    [
      "*failijaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/failijaz"
    ],
    [
      "*pey-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pey-"
    ],
    [
      "feel",
      "feel#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "feelie",
      "feelie#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "feilich",
      "feilich#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "veil",
      "veil#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "veilig",
      "veilig#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "feil",
      "feil#German"
    ],
    [
      "pīus",
      "pius#Latin"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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        "In a feal manner."
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        "(of things) Cosy; clean; neat.",
        "(of persons) Comfortable; cosy; safe.",
        "Smooth; soft; downy; velvety."
      ],
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        "Scotland",
        "UK",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To hide.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "felen"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "fela",
        "4": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse fela (“to hide”)"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "4": "",
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      },
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    },
    {
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        "3": "*pele(w)-"
      },
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    },
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        "2": "felahan",
        "3": "",
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      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "fēolan",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to cleave, enter, penetrate"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fēolan (“to cleave, enter, penetrate”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "felen",
      "felen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fela",
      "fela#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*felhaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/felhaną"
    ],
    [
      "*pele(w)-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pele(w)-"
    ],
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      "*plē(w)-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/plē(w)-"
    ],
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      "felahan",
      "felahan#Old_High_German"
    ],
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      "fēolan",
      "feolan#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
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        "To hide."
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To press on, advance.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
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      "name": "inh",
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        "1": "en",
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        "4": "",
        "5": "to come at (one's enemies), advance"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English felen (“to come at (one's enemies), advance”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
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      },
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
adj

Faithful, loyal.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionfealgmw-msc
  • Derivation mentionfealfro
  • Derivation mentionfidelisla
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of fail (“piece of turf cut from grassland”)

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Unknown; see fail.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for feal →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZmVhbA