Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Fellow

Fel′low

,
Noun.
[OE.
felawe
,
felaghe
, Icel.
fēlagi
, fr.
fēlag
companionship, prop., a laying together of property;
fē
property +
lag
a laying, pl.
lög
law, akin to
liggja
to lie. See
Fee
, and
Law
,
Lie
to be low.]
1.
A companion; a comrade; an associate; a partner; a sharer.
The
fellows
of his crime.
Milton.
We are
fellows
still,
Serving alike in sorrow.
Shakespeare
That enormous engine was flanked by two
fellows
almost of equal magnitude.
Gibbon.
☞ Commonly used of men, but sometimes of women.
Judges xi. 37.
2.
A man without good breeding or worth; an ignoble or mean man.
Worth makes the man, and want of it, the
fellow
.
Pope.
3.
An equal in power, rank, character, etc.
It is impossible that ever Rome
Should breed thy
fellow
.
Shakespeare
4.
One of a pair, or of two things used together or suited to each other; a mate; the male.
When they be but heifers of one year, . . . they are let go to the
fellow
and breed.
Holland.
This was my glove; here is the
fellow
of it.
Shakespeare
5.
A person; an individual.
She seemed to be a good sort of
fellow
.
Dickens.
6.
In the English universities, a scholar who is appointed to a foundation called a fellowship, which gives a title to certain perquisites and privileges.
7.
In an American college or university, a member of the corporation which manages its business interests; also, a graduate appointed to a fellowship, who receives the income of the foundation.
8.
A member of a literary or scientific society;
as, a
Fellow
of the Royal Society
.
☞ Fellow is often used in compound words, or adjectively, signifying associate, companion, or sometimes equal. Usually, such compounds or phrases are self-explanatory; as, fellow-citizen, or fellow citizen; fellow-student, or fellow student; fellow-workman, or fellow workman; fellow-mortal, or fellow mortal; fellow-sufferer; bedfellow; playfellow; workfellow.
Were the great duke himself here, and would lift up
My head to
fellow
pomp amongst his nobles.
Ford.

Fel′low

,
Verb.
T.
To suit with; to pair with; to match.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition

Fellow

FEL'LOW

,
Noun.
[Heb. to tie or connect, to be joined or associated.]
1.
A companion; an associate.
In youth I had twelve fellows, like myself.
Each on his fellow for assistance calls.
2.
One of the same kind.
A shepherd had one favorite dog; he fed him with his own hand, and took more care of him than of his fellows.
3.
An equal.
Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts. Zech. 13.
4.
One of a pair, or of two things used together and suited to each other. Of a pair of gloves, we call one the fellow of the other.
5.
One equal or like another. Of an artist we say, this man has not his fellow, that is, one of like skill.
6.
An appellation of contempt; a man without good breeding or worth; an ignoble man; as a mean fellow.
Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow.
7.
A member of a college that shares its revenues; or a member of any incorporated society.
8.
A member of a corporation; a trustee.

FEL'LOW

,
Verb.
T.
To suit with; to pair with; to match. [Little used.]
In composition, fellow denotes community of nature, station or employment.

Definition 2024

fellow

fellow

See also: fellow-

English

Noun

fellow ‎(plural fellows)

  1. (obsolete) A colleague or partner.
  2. (archaic) A companion; a comrade.
    • John Milton (1608-1674)
      the fellows of his crime
    • William Shakespeare (c.1564–1616)
      We are fellows still, / Serving alike in sorrow.
    • Edward Gibbon (1737-1794)
      That enormous engine was flanked by two fellows almost of equal magnitude.
    • 1915, Emerson Hough, The Purchase Price, chapterII:
      Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations.
  3. A man without good breeding or worth; an ignoble or mean man.
    • Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
      Worth makes the man, and want of it, the fellow.
  4. An equal in power, rank, character, etc.
    • William Shakespeare (c.1564–1616)
      It is impossible that ever Rome / Should breed thy fellow.
  5. One of a pair, or of two things used together or suited to each other; a mate.
    • Philemon Holland (1552-1637)
      When they be but heifers of one year, […] they are let go to the fellow and breed.
    • William Shakespeare (c.1564–1616)
      This was my glove; here is the fellow of it.
  6. (colloquial) A male person; a man.
    • 1910, Saki, ‘The Strategist’, Reginald in Russia:
      ‘There'll be about ten girls,’ speculated Rollo, as he drove to the function, ‘and I suppose four fellows, unless the Wrotsleys bring their cousin, which Heaven forbid.’
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 7, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      “A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing. […]”
  7. (rare) A person; an individual, male or female.
  8. (heading) A rank or title in the professional world, usually given as "Fellow".
    1. In the English universities, a scholar who is appointed to a foundation called a fellowship, which gives a title to certain perquisites and privileges.
    2. In an American college or university, a member of the corporation which manages its business interests; also, a graduate appointed to a fellowship, who receives the income of the foundation.
    3. A member of a literary or scientific society
      a Fellow of the Royal Society
    4. The most senior rank or title one can achieve on a technical career in certain companies (though some Fellows also hold business titles such as Vice President or Chief Technology Officer). This is typically found in large corporations in research and development-intensive industries (IBM or Sun Microsystems in information technology, and Boston Scientific in Medical Devices for example). They appoint a small number of senior scientists and engineers as Fellows.
    5. In the US and Canada, a physician who is undergoing a supervised, sub-specialty medical training (fellowship) after completing a specialty training program (residency).

Usage notes

In North America, fellow is less likely to be used for a man in general in comparison to other words that have the same purpose. Nevertheless, it is still used by some. In addition, it has a good bit of use as an academic or medical title or membership.

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:associate
  • See also Wikisaurus:man

Translations

Derived terms

Adjective

fellow ‎(not comparable)

  1. Having common characteristics; being of the same kind, or in the same group

Verb

fellow ‎(third-person singular simple present fellows, present participle fellowing, simple past and past participle fellowed)

  1. To suit with; to pair with; to match.

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: history · master · latter · #591: fellow · hardly · wind · drew

Etymology

From Middle English felowe, felawe, felage, from Old Norse félagi ‎(“companion, associate, shareholder, colleague”), from félag ‎(“partnership”, literally “a laying together of property”), from the Germanic bases of two words represented in English by fee and law. Cognate with Scots falow, fallow, follow ‎(“associate, comrade, companion”), Danish fælle ‎(“companion”), Norwegian felle ‎(“companion”), Faroese felagi ‎(“member, partner”), Icelandic félagi ‎(“comrade, mate”).

Pronunciation

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