High hills or mountains, especially barren ones found in northern England and Scotland; also plural of 'fell' meaning to cut down trees.
From Old Norse 'fell' (mountain), brought by Viking settlers. The word survived in place names and Northern English dialect, referring to the rocky uplands of the Lake District and Pennines.
The Lake District fells inspired William Wordsworth and became sacred to the Romantic movement—these weren't pretty mountains, they were wild, austere places that sparked genius.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.