# fellow

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfɛləʊ/ · frequency rank #1,791

## Definitions
1. A companion; a comrade.
2. An animal which is a member of a breed or species, or a flock, herd, etc.
3. An object which is associated with another object; especially, as part of a set.
4. A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
5. A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
6. A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
7. A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
8. A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
9. Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
10. Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
11. Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
12. Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
13. Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
14. Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
15. Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
16. Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
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.
18. Usually qualified by an adjective or used in the plural: an individual or person regardless of gender.
19. An animal or object.
20. One of a pair of things suited to each other or used together; a counterpart, a mate.
21. One of a pair of things suited to each other or used together; a counterpart, a mate.
22. Alternative form of fella (“used as a general intensifier”)
23. A colleague or partner.
24. A colleague or partner.
25. A close companion or friend; also, a companion or friend whom one eats or drinks with.
26. Followed by of: one who participates in an activity; a participant.
27. A man without good breeding or of lower social status; a common or ignoble man; also, used as a polite term of address to such a person.
28. A person's servant or slave.
29. A worthless person; a churl, a knave; also, used as a term of address to a person regarded as such.
30. Synonym of schoolmate (“a student at the same school”).
31. A black man.

## Etymology
From Middle English felowe, Early Middle English felage (“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”)

## Easily confused with
- **flow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fellow-vs-flow)
- **felon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fellow-vs-felon)
- **Fells** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fellow-vs-fells)
- **follow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fellow-vs-follow)
- **Felton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fellow-vs-felton)
- **follows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fellow-vs-follows)
- **fellows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fellow-vs-fellows)
- **fell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fell-vs-fellow)
- **fella** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fella-vs-fellow)
- **Fallon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fallon-vs-fellow)
- **fallow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fallow-vs-fellow)
- **feller** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feller-vs-fellow)

## Common misspellings (7)
`efllow`, `felloww`, `fellwo`, `felolw`, `felow`, `ffellow`, `flelow`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fellow