what is a fell

A fell is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or moor-covered hill. The term is most often used in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of Man, parts of northern England, and Scotland. The English word "fell" comes from Old Norse fell and fjall, both forms existed. It is cognate with Danish fjeld, Faroese fjall and fjøll, Icelandic fjall and fell, Norwegian fjell with dialects fjøll, fjødd, fjedd, fjedl, fjill, fil(l), and fel, and Swedish fjäll, all referring to mountains rising above the alpine tree line. In northern England, especially in the Lake District and in the Pennine Dales, the word "fell" originally referred to an area of uncultivated high ground used as common grazing usually on common land and above the timberline. Today, generally, "fell" refers to the mountains and hills of the Lake District and the Pennine Dales. The word "fell" is also used in the names of various breeds of livestock, bred for life on the uplands, such as Rough Fell sheep, Fell terriers, and Fell ponies. In addition, "fell" is the past tense of the verb "fall" and can also be used as a transitive verb meaning to cut down trees.