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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

fellow.

A companion; a comrade.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈfɛ.ləʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ˈfɛ.lo/Scotland/ˈfɛ.lou/Wales/ˈfɛ.loʊ/Canada, General-American
  1. A companion; a comrade.

    also · figuratively · in-plural
  2. An animal which is a member of a breed or species, or a flock, herd, etc.

    in-plural
  3. An object which is associated with another object; especially, as part of a set.

    in-plural
  4. One comparable in characteristics with another; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.

    also · attributive
    my fellow Americans
    Rebecca and her fellow workers are to go on strike.
  5. One comparable in characteristics with another; especially, as belonging to the same class or group. One with abilities, achievements, skills, etc., equal to those of another; a thing with characteristics, worth, etc., equal to those of another thing.

    also · attributive
    to have no fellows
  6. One comparable in characteristics with another; especially, as belonging to the same class or group. One in the same condition, or situation of need, as another.

    also · attributive · in-plural
  7. One comparable in characteristics with another; especially, as belonging to the same class or group. An equal in character, power, rank, etc.; a peer.

    also · archaic · attributive · in-plural
  8. One comparable in characteristics with another; especially, as belonging to the same class or group. One living at the same time, or about the same age as another, especially when in the same field of study or work.

    also · archaic · attributive · in-plural
  9. Senses relating to academia; often in the form Fellow. An academic who constitutes an educational institution (such as a college or university); now particularly, a senior member involved in teaching, research, and management of the institution.

  10. Senses relating to academia; often in the form Fellow. A (senior) member of a learned or professional society.

    a Fellow of the Royal Society
  11. Senses relating to academia; often in the form Fellow. A (senior) member of a learned or professional society. A senior member of an Inn of Court.

    UK · historical · specifically
  12. Senses relating to academia; often in the form Fellow. An honorary title bestowed by an educational instutition upon a distinguished person (often an alumna or alumnus).

  13. Senses relating to academia; often in the form Fellow. A scholar appointed to a fellowship, that is, a paid academic position held for a certain period which usually requires the scholar to conduct research.

    UK
  14. Senses relating to academia; often in the form Fellow. A physician undergoing a fellowship (supervised subspecialty medical training) after having completed a residency (specialty training program).

    Canada · US
  15. Senses relating to academia; often in the form Fellow. A member of a college or university who manages its business interests.

    US
  16. Senses relating to academia; often in the form Fellow. A senior researcher or technician in a corporation, especially one engaged in research and development.

    US
  17. A male person; a bloke, a chap, a guy, a man; also, preceded by a modifying word, sometimes with a sense of mild reproach: used as a familiar term of address to a man.

    informal
    my dear fellow
    old fellow
  18. An individual regardless of gender; usually qualified by an adjective or used in the plural.

  19. An animal or object.

    broadly · humorous · ironic · often
  20. One of a pair of things suited to each other or used together; a counterpart, a mate.

    archaic
  21. One of a pair of things suited to each other or used together; a counterpart, a mate. A partner in life or marriage; particularly, a male lover, a boyfriend, a husband; also, the mate of an animal.

    archaic · obsolete
  22. Alternative form of fella: used as a general intensifier.

    alt-of · alternative · archaic
  23. A colleague or partner.

    obsolete
  24. A colleague or partner. An associate in the commission of a crime or other wrongful act; an accomplice.

    also · figuratively · obsolete · specifically
  25. A close companion or friend; also, a companion or friend whom one eats or drinks with.

    obsolete
  26. One who participates in an activity; a participant; followed by of.

    obsolete
  27. A man without good breeding or of lower social status; a common or ignoble man; also, used as a polite term of address.

    obsolete
  28. A servant or slave.

    obsolete
  29. A worthless person; a churl, a knave; also, used as a term of address.

    derogatory · obsolete
  30. Synonym of schoolmate: a student at the same school.

    UK · obsolete · slang
  31. A black man.

    Southern-US · derogatory · obsolete
Where this word comes from

From Middle English felawe, felowe (“companion, good friend”) from Old English fēolaga, from Old Norse félagi, derived from félag (“joint venture; partnership”, literally “a laying together of property”), from fé (“livestock, property; money”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“livestock; wealth”)) + lag (“something laid down; right position; arrangement; companionship, fellowship; partnership”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie down”)). Cognates * Old Norse filaga, felaka (“partner”, accusative singular), from which the other terms are derived: * Danish fælle (“companion”) * Faroese felagi (“member; partner”) * Icelandic félagi (“companion, comrade, fellow; member; partner”) * Norwegian felle (“companion”) * Old Swedish fälaghi (modern Swedish felaga, felaha (“partner”, accusative singular)) * Scots falow, fallow, follow (“associate, companion, comrade”)

verb/ˈfɛ.ləʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ˈfɛ.lo/Scotland/ˈfɛ.lou/Wales/ˈfɛ.loʊ/Canada, General-American
  1. To address (someone) as "fellow", especially in an insulting manner (see noun sense 10.6).

    archaic · transitive
  2. To equal (someone or something); also, to cause or find someone or something to be equal to (another).

    archaic · poetic · transitive
  3. To pair or suit (someone or something) with another; also, to pair or suit someone or something with (another); to arrange (things) in pairs.

    obsolete · transitive
  4. To associate or join (oneself, someone, or something) with another in companionship or a partnership.

    also · obsolete · reflexive · transitive
  5. To cause or portray (someone or something) to be equal to (another).

    obsolete · reflexive · sometimes · transitive
  6. To associate or go together with (someone or something); to become a partner of (someone or something).

    obsolete · poetic · transitive
  7. To associate or join with a someone or something in companionship or a partnership.

    intransitive · obsolete · poetic
Where this word comes from

From Middle English felauen, felow (“to join (someone) in companionship, friendship, partnership, etc.”) [and other forms], from felowe, felau, felawe (noun): see etymology 1.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.