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Webster 1913 Edition


Feel

Feel

(fēl)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Felt
(fĕlt)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Feeling
.]
[AS.
fēlan
; akin to OS.
gifōlian
to perceive, D.
voelen
to feel, OHG.
fuolen
, G.
fühlen
, Icel.
fālma
to grope, and prob. to AS.
folm
palm of the hand, L.
palma
. Cf.
Fumble
,
Palm
.]
1.
To perceive by the touch; to take cognizance of by means of the nerves of sensation distributed all over the body, especially by those of the skin; to have sensation excited by contact of (a thing) with the body or limbs.
Who
feel

Those rods of scorpions and those whips of steel.
Creecn.
2.
To touch; to handle; to examine by touching;
as,
feel
this piece of silk
; hence, to make trial of; to test; often with
out
.
Come near, . . . that I may
feel
thee, my son.
Gen. xxvii. 21.
He hath this to
feel
my affection to your honor.
Shakespeare
3.
To perceive by the mind; to have a sense of; to experience; to be affected by; to be sensible of, or sensitive to;
as, to
feel
pleasure; to
feel
pain.
Teach me to
feel
another’s woe.
Pope.
Whoso keepeth the commandment shall
feel
no evil thing.
Eccl. viii. 5.
He best can paint them who shall
feel
them most.
Pope.
Mankind have
felt
their strength and made it
felt
.
Byron.
4.
To take internal cognizance of; to be conscious of; to have an inward persuasion of.
For then, and not till then, he
felt
himself.
Shakespeare
5.
To perceive; to observe.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
To feel the helm
(Naut.)
,
to obey it.

Feel

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To have perception by the touch, or by contact of anything with the nerves of sensation, especially those upon the surface of the body.
2.
To have the sensibilities moved or affected.
[She]
feels
with the dignity of a Roman matron
Burke.
.
And mine as man, who
feel
for all mankind.
Pope.
3.
To be conscious of an inward impression, state of mind, persuasion, physical condition, etc.; to perceive one's self to be; – followed by an adjective describing the state, etc.;
as, to
feel
assured, grieved, persuaded
.
I then did
feel
full sick.
Shakespeare
4.
To know with feeling; to be conscious; hence, to know certainly or without misgiving.
Garlands . . . which I
feel

I am not worthy yet to wear.
Shakespeare
5.
To appear to the touch; to give a perception; to produce an impression by the nerves of sensation; – followed by an adjective describing the kind of sensation.
Blind men say black
feels
rough, and white
feels
smooth.
Dryden.
–
To feel of
,
to examine by touching.

Feel

,
Noun.
1.
Feeling; perception.
[R.]
To intercept and have a more kindly
feel
of its genial warmth.
Hazlitt.
2.
A sensation communicated by touching; impression made upon one who touches or handles;
as, this leather has a greasy
feel
.
The difference between these two tumors will be distinguished by the
feel
.
S. Sharp.

Webster 1828 Edition


Feel

FEEL

,
Verb.
T.
pret. and pp. felt. [L. palpo. the primary sense is to touch, to pat, to strike gently, or to press, as is evident from the L. palpito, and other derivatives of palp. If so, the word seems to be allied to L. pello.]
1.
To perceive by the touch; to have sensation excited by contact of a thing with the body or limbs.
Suffer me that I may feel the pillars. Judges 16.
Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son.
Gen. 27.
2.
To have the sense of; to suffer or enjoy; as, to feel pain; to feel pleasure.
3.
To experience; to suffer.
Whoso keepeth the commandments shall feel no evil thing. Eccles. 8.
4.
To be affected by; to perceive mentally; as, to feel grief or woe.
Would I had never trod this English earth, or felt the flatteies that grow upon it.
5.
To know; to be acquainted with; to have a real and just view of.
For then, and not till then, he felt himself.
6.
To touch; to handle; with or without of.
Feel this piece of silk, or feel of it.
To feel, or to feel out, is to try; to sound; to search for; to explore; as, to feel or feel out one's opinions or designs.
To feel after, to search for; to seek to find; to seek as a person groping in the dark.
If haply they might feel after him, and find him. Acts 18.

FEEL

, v.i.
1.
To have perception by the touch, or by the contact of any substance with the body.
2.
To have the sensibility or the passions moved or excited. The good man feels for the woes of others.
3.
To give perception; to excite sensation.
Blind men say black feels rough, and white feels smooth.
So, we say, a thing feels soft or hard, or it feels hot or cold.
4.
To have perception mentally; as, to feel hurt; to feel grieved; to feel unwilling.

FEEL

,
Noun.
The sense of feeling, or the perception caused by the touch. The difference of tumors may be ascertained by the feel. Argillaceous stones may sometimes be known by the feel. [In America, feeling is more generally used; but the use of feel is not uncommon.]