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-sb.) of a Com. Teut. adj., of which the other Teut. langs. have in their early forms only the accus. neut. as adv. and quasi-sb.: 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. *polú) much; cf. Skr. purú, 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 secȝ.
c. 950. Lindisfarne Gospels, Luke vii. 47. Forðon lufade feolo.
c. 1000. Wife’s Compl., 26 (Gr.).
| Sceal ic feor ge neah | |
| mines fela leofan fæhðu dreogan. |
a. 1250. The Proverbs of Ælfred, 196, in O. E. Misc., 114.
| Þus queþ Alured | |
| Ne ilef þu nouht to fele | |
| uppe þe see þat floweþ. |
a. 1300. Cursor M., 8991 (Cott.). Thoru wimmen þat he luued sa fele.
c. 1300. Havelok, 2442.
| He bounden him so fele sore, | |
| Þat he gan crien godes ore. |
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1884. Syn þe fre is so faire, & so fele vertus.
c. 1470. Henry the Minstrel, Wallace, I. 56. Fell awfull in effer.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 192.
| For they bring in the substance of the Beere, | |
| That they drinken feele too good chepe, not dere. |
2. quasi-sb. 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 sb.
Beowulf, 1060. Fela sceal ȝebidan 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 ȝeþolod todæȝ þurh ȝesyhðe for hym.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 208. Ne foræt þu þæes blodes to fela on ænne siþ.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 9. Monie and feole oðre godere werke.
a. 1300. Sinners Beware! 85, 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 sb. 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.
| And galiot haith chargit hyme to tak | |
| Als fell folk, and for the feld hyme mak. |
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. i. 83. Sa fele ȝeris.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 201.
| And nowe so fele shippes this yeere there ware, | |
| That moch losse for vnfreyght they bare. |
b. With sb. 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, 6700.
| And curtesly of hir his leve he toke, | |
| With kysseng fele as witnes[eth] the book. |
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., 8405 (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.
| And in sum bargis sa feill can ga, | |
| For thair fais thame chasit swa, | |
| That thai ourtummyllit. |
c. 1450. Bk. Curtasye, 521, in Babees Bk. (1868), 316.
| Now speke I wylle of þo stuarde als, | |
| Few ar trew, but fele ar fals. |
b. quasi-sb. Many of. Cf. A. 2.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7011 (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 sb., forming an adj., as fele-kyn, of many kinds, various; or an adv., as fele-sith, -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. Felesyns, 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.
