Word Study
feel
CIDE DICTIONARY
feel, v. t. [AS. f; akin to OS. gif to perceive, D. voelen to feel, OHG. fuolen, G. fÜhlen, Icel. fālma to grope, and prob. to AS. folm palm of the hand, L. palma. Cf. Fumble, Palm.].
- To perceive by the touch; to take cognizance of by means of the nerves of sensation distributed all over the body, especially by those of the skin; to have sensation excited by contact of (a thing) with the body or limbs. [1913 Webster]"Who feel
Those rods of scorpions and those whips of steel." [1913 Webster] - To touch; to handle; to examine by touching; as, feel this piece of silk; hence, to make trial of; to test; often with out. [1913 Webster]"Come near, . . . that I may feel thee, my son." [1913 Webster]"He hath this to feel my affection to your honor." [1913 Webster]
- To perceive by the mind; to have a sense of; to experience; to be affected by; to be sensible of, or sensitive to; as, to feel pleasure; to feel pain. [1913 Webster]"Teach me to feel another's woe." [1913 Webster]"Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing." [1913 Webster]"He best can paint them who shall feel them most." [1913 Webster]"Mankind have felt their strength and made it felt." [1913 Webster]
- To take internal cognizance of; to be conscious of; to have an inward persuasion of. [1913 Webster]"For then, and not till then, he felt himself." [1913 Webster]
- To perceive; to observe. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
feel, v. i.
- To have perception by the touch, or by contact of anything with the nerves of sensation, especially those upon the surface of the body. [1913 Webster]
- To have the sensibilities moved or affected. [1913 Webster]"[She] feels with the dignity of a Roman matron" [1913 Webster]"And mine as man, who feel for all mankind." [1913 Webster]
- To be conscious of an inward impression, state of mind, persuasion, physical condition, etc.; to perceive one's self to be; -- followed by an adjective describing the state, etc.; as, to feel assured, grieved, persuaded. [1913 Webster]"I then did feel full sick." [1913 Webster]
- To know with feeling; to be conscious; hence, to know certainly or without misgiving. [1913 Webster]"Garlands . . . which I feel
I am not worthy yet to wear." [1913 Webster] - To appear to the touch; to give a perception; to produce an impression by the nerves of sensation; -- followed by an adjective describing the kind of sensation. [1913 Webster]"Blind men say black feels rough, and white feels smooth." [1913 Webster]
feel, n.
- Feeling; perception. [1913 Webster]"To intercept and have a more kindly feel of its genial warmth." [1913 Webster]
- A sensation communicated by touching; impression made upon one who touches or handles; as, this leather has a greasy feel. [1913 Webster]"The difference between these two tumors will be distinguished by the feel." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
feel, v. & n.
--v. (past and past part. felt)
1 tr. a examine or search by touch. b (absol.) have the sensation of touch (was unable to feel).
2 tr. perceive or ascertain by touch; have a sensation of (could feel the warmth; felt that it was cold).
3 tr. a undergo, experience (shall feel my anger). b exhibit or be conscious of (an emotion, sensation, conviction, etc.).
4 a intr. have a specified feeling or reaction (felt strongly about it). b tr. be emotionally affected by (felt the rebuke deeply).
5 tr. (foll. by that + clause) have a vague or unreasoned impression (I feel that I am right).
6 tr. consider, think (I feel it useful to go).
7 intr. seem; give an impression of being; be perceived as (the air feels chilly).
8 intr. be consciously; consider oneself (I feel happy; do not feel well).
9 intr. a (foll. by with) have sympathy with. b (foll. by for) have pity or compassion for.
10 tr. (often foll. by up) sl. fondle the genitals of.
--n.
1 the act or an instance of feeling; testing by touch.
2 the sensation characterizing a material, situation, etc.
3 the sense of touch.
--v. (past and past part. felt)
1 tr. a examine or search by touch. b (absol.) have the sensation of touch (was unable to feel).
2 tr. perceive or ascertain by touch; have a sensation of (could feel the warmth; felt that it was cold).
3 tr. a undergo, experience (shall feel my anger). b exhibit or be conscious of (an emotion, sensation, conviction, etc.).
4 a intr. have a specified feeling or reaction (felt strongly about it). b tr. be emotionally affected by (felt the rebuke deeply).
5 tr. (foll. by that + clause) have a vague or unreasoned impression (I feel that I am right).
6 tr. consider, think (I feel it useful to go).
7 intr. seem; give an impression of being; be perceived as (the air feels chilly).
8 intr. be consciously; consider oneself (I feel happy; do not feel well).
9 intr. a (foll. by with) have sympathy with. b (foll. by for) have pity or compassion for.
10 tr. (often foll. by up) sl. fondle the genitals of.
--n.
1 the act or an instance of feeling; testing by touch.
2 the sensation characterizing a material, situation, etc.
3 the sense of touch.
Idiom
feel free (often foll. by to + infin.) not be reluctant or hesitant (do feel free to criticize). feel like have a wish for; be inclined towards. feel one's oats see OAT. feel oneself be fit or confident etc. feel out investigate cautiously. feel strange see STRANGE. feel up to be ready to face or deal with. feel one's way proceed carefully; act cautiously. get the feel of become accustomed to using. make one's influence (or presence etc.) felt assert one's influence; make others aware of one's presence etc.
Etymology
OE felan f. WG
THESAURUS
feel
abide, air, ambience, appear, appear like, appreciation, appreciation of differences, appreciativeness, apprehend, art, artistic judgment, assume, atmosphere, aura, be, be afraid, be aware of, be conscious of, be exposed to, be sensible of, be sorry for, be subjected to, bear, believe, bleed for, breath, brook, brush, caress, climate, come in contact, conceive, conclude, conjecture, connoisseurship, consider, contact, crave, credit, critical niceness, criticalness, cutaneous sense, daresay, deduce, deem, delicacy, desire, determine, discern, discriminating taste, discriminatingness, discrimination, discriminativeness, divine, dream, empathize with, encounter, endure, esteem, expect, experience, explore, fancy, fastidiousness, feel deeply, feel for, feel intuitively, feel of, feeling, fine palate, finesse, finger, fingertip caress, finish, flick, fondle, fumble, gather, glance, go through, grabble, grain, grant, granular texture, graze, grope, guess, hand-mindedness, handle, hang, have, have a feeling, have a hunch, have a sensation, have the impression, hear, hold, imagine, indentation, infer, intuit, judge, judiciousness, just know, kiss, knack, know, knub, labor under, lambency, lap, let, let be, lick, light touch, look, look like, making distinctions, manipulate, meet, meet up with, meet with, milieu, mood, nap, niceness of distinction, nicety, note, notice, nub, observe, opine, overtone, palate, palm, palpate, pass through, paw, pay, perceive, pet, pile, pit, pity, ply, pock, poke at, prefer, prefigure, presume, presuppose, presurmise, prod, protuberance, provisionally accept, quality, quick look, receive an impression, reckon, refined discrimination, refined palate, refinement, repute, respond, respond to stimuli, rub, run up against, savor, say, see, seem, seem like, seem to be, selectiveness, semblance, sensation, sense, sense of touch, sensibility, sensitivity, shag, smell, sound, sound like, spend, spirit, stand, stand under, stroke, structure, subtlety, suffer, suppose, surface, surface texture, surmise, suspect, sustain, sympathize with, tact, tactfulness, tactile sense, tactility, taction, take, take for, take for granted, take it, take to be, tap, taste, tentative examination, tentative poke, texture, think, thumb, tolerate, tone, touch, trick, twiddle, undergo, understand, undertone, wale, want, way, weave, whisper, wield, withstand, woofROGET THESAURUS
feel
Feeling
VB feel, receive an impression, be impressed with, entertain feeling, harbor feeling, cherish feeling, respond, catch the flame, catch the infection, enter the spirit of, bear, suffer, support, sustain, endure, thole, aby, abide, experience, taste, prove, labor under, smart under, bear the brunt of, brave, stand, swell, glow, warm, flush, blush, change color, mantle, turn color, turn pale, turn red, turn black in the face, tingle, thrill, heave, pant, throb, palpitate, go pitapat, tremble, quiver, flutter, twitter, shake, be agitated, be excited, look blue, look black, wince, draw a deep breath, impress.Physical Sensibility
VB be sensible of, feel, perceive, render sensible, sharpen, cultivate, tutor, cause sensation, impress, excite an impression, produce an impression.Touch
VB touch, feel, handle, finger, thumb, paw, fumble, grope, grabble, twiddle, tweedle, pass the fingers over, run the fingers over, manipulate, wield, throw out a feeler.For further exploring for "feel" in Webster Dictionary Online
