Forms: α. 1 felȝ, (pl. felȝa), 4 feleyȝhe, 5 felghe. β. 5 felwe, felow(e, 6 fallow, 6–7 fellow, 6– felloe. γ. 3–5 fely, vely, (pl. 3 velien, -on), 6–8 Sc. filly, 7 fally, 7–8 fellee, 8 felley, 6– felly. δ. 7 fellff, felfe, 9 dial. felf, felve, felk, 7–8 fell. [OE. felȝ str. fem. corresponds to MDu., Du. velge, OHG. felga (mod.Ger. felge). Possibly cognate with OTeut. *felhan (see FELE v.), in the sense ‘to fit together’ (recorded for the OHG. felahan).
The diversity of forms is due to the varying pronunciation of the OE. ȝ, depending on the nature of the sound which followed it in the inflected cases. In the plural felȝa it was the voiced guttural spirant, which in late ME. developed into w, producing the β forms. In the dative felȝe it was the voiced palatal spirant, and this very early became vocalized as i, whence the γ forms. The δ forms are due to the normal unvoicing of the g where it was final, viz., in the nom. and accus. sing. (With the forms felf, felk, cf. the Derbyshire place-name now variously spelt Belph, Belk, but in 13th c. Belgh.) In England the forms felloe, felly seem to be equally in good use; in the U.S. felly appears to be preferred.]
The exterior rim, or a part of the rim, of a wheel, supported by the spokes. In pl. the curved pieces of wood which, joined together, form the circular rim of a wheel.
α. c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xxix. § 7. Ælces spacan biþ oþer ende fæst on þære nafe, oþer on ðære felȝe.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, 106. Cantus, felga.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 3309. He fongede faste one þe feleyghes.
1485. Inv., in Ripon Ch. Acts, 373. Decem gang de felghes.
β. 14[?]. Nom., in Wr.-Wülcker, 727. Hec cantus, a felowe.
1411. Nottingham Rec., II. 86. xj. felowes, vd.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 154/2. Felwe of a qwele … cantus.
1552. Huloet, Fallowes or straikes of a carte.
1572. Wills & Inv. N. C. (Surtees), I. 349. Fellowes for wheles vs.
1611. Cotgr., Iantes, the fellowes of a wheele.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. 327/2. I find … a Felloe, and two Spokes fixed to a peece of a Nave.
1731. Beighton, in Phil. Trans., XXXVII. 5. Four Rings, or Sets of Felloes.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev. (1872), I. V. vi. 166. Never over nave or felloe did thy axe strike such a stroke.
1863. Whyte Melville, Gladiators, I. 14. The very spokes and felloes of the wheels were carved in patterns.
γ. a. 1225. Juliana, 56. Þurh spiten hit al spaken ant uelien.
1382. Wyclif, 1 Kings vii. 33. The spokys and the felijs and the naue.
14[?]. Metr. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 628. Vely, canti.
1523. Fitzherbert, The Boke of Husbandry, § 5. The wheles, and those be made of nathes, spokes, fellyes, and dowles, and they muste be well fettred with wood or yren.
1602. Shaks., Ham., II. ii. 517. Breake all the Spokes and Fallies from her wheele.
1621. G. Sandys, Ovid’s Met., II. (1626), 24. On siluer Spokes the golden Fellies rol’d.
1745. Beverley Beck Act, ii. 4. Wheels … shall be made to contain the full breadth of nine inches in the felley.
1773. Franklin, Lett., Wks, 1840, VI. 383. The new art of making carriage wheels, the fellies of one piece.
1880. L. Wallace, Ben-Hur, IV. vii. 209. Bronze tires held the fellies, which were of shining ebony.
δ.
1598. Chapman, Iliad, IV. 525.
| The Fell’ffs or out-parts of a wheele. | |
| Ibid., V. 732. | |
| The Axle-tree was Steele | |
| The Felffes incorruptible gold. |
1641. H. Best, Rural Economy in Yorkshire in 1641 (Surtees), 35. The wright to come and see that the axle-trees and felfes of the waines bee sownde and firme.
1681. W. Robertson, Phraseol. Gen. (1693), 600. The fells, or streaks of a Cart.
1799. G. Smith, Laboratory, I. 27. The nave is turned of close and firm wood, in which the joiners glue the spokes, according to the number of the fells, which must be carefully joined together.
1877. N. W. Linc. Gloss., Felfs.
1888. Sheffield Gloss., Felk.
b. attrib. and Comb., as felly-timber. In names of machines or implements used in making fellies, as felly-auger, -dresser. Also felly-coupling.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., *Felly-auger. A hollow auger for fashioning the round tenon on the end of a spoke. Ibid., *Felly-coupling. A box for enclosing the adjacent ends of fellies in the rim of a wheel. Ibid., *Felly-dresser. A machine for dressing the edges of fellies.
1649. Blithe, Eng. Improv. Impr. (1652), 167. It [Elm] makes excellect Plank, and good board, and best wood in England for Wheelwrights Nathes or Hubs for wheels, and good for *felly timber also.
