the.com/fella

means An informal, friendly word for a man or boy — often used with affection or mild condescension depending on tone.

from A worn-down, casual pronunciation of 'fellow,' which traces back to Old English 'feolaga,' meaning a business partner or one who lays down shares with you — from Old Norse roots tied to 'fee' and 'lay,' essentially 'one who shares money or property with another.' Over centuries 'fellow' slid from formal partner to companion to just 'guy,' and 'fella' is the spoken-language shorthand that stuck once people stopped bothering with the final consonants.