German word

fällen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈfɛlən/

Meaning

  • verbcut down

Example

Der Förster fällte die alte Eiche gestern.

The forester cut down the old oak yesterday.

Illustration for fällen (cut down)

More examples

Das Gericht fällte gestern ein Urteil im Betrugsprozess.

The court handed down a verdict yesterday in the fraud trial.

Core concept

A saw cuts through the base of an upright tree until it lies on the ground, while a judgment is brought to its final result.

Common phrases

  • eine Entscheidung fällen

    make a decision

  • einen Beschluss fällen

    pass a resolution

Similar words

hacken: Cut into pieces with repeated, forceful blows from an axe.
sägen: Use a saw to cut through wood or another material.
umstürzen: Become overturned or fall onto one side and lie on the ground.
abholzen: Remove many trees from an area by cutting them down.

Definition in German

etwas, besonders einen Baum, durch Schneiden oder Sägen zum Umfallen bringen; übertragen auch ein Urteil aussprechen

Word origin

The inherited Germanic verb fällen is formed as a causative of fallen, and the concrete sense of making something fall later supported the figurative sense of issuing a judgment.

Usage tips

  • The judicial sense commonly occurs in the fixed collocation ein Urteil fällen, with Urteil as the accusative object.

Other meanings

  • pass judgmentverb
  • knock downverb

Opposites

Related words

  • die Fällungfellingnoun

Word lists with this word