Where does “crestfallen” come from?

Crestfallen comes from English fall and English whale, combining English fall with English wale, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European wel- meaning to roll or turn.

crestfallen (English): Sad because of a recent disappointment;...

Definitions

  1. Sad because of a recent disappointment;...

Ancestry of “crestfallen”, step by step

crestfallen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English fallen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishfallenpast participle of fall; Having dropped by the...
2Englishfall"To be moved downwards."; "To move downwards.";...
3Middle Englishfall—
4Old EnglishfeallAlternative form of fiell
5Proto-Germanicfallą—
6Proto-Indo-European(s)pōl-to fall

via English crest

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcrestThe summit of a hill or mountain ridge; A tuft,...
2Middle Englishcreste—
3Old Frenchcreste—
4Vulgar Latin*cresta—
5Latincristathe crest, the plume; the comb or tuft on the...
6Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth

Words derived from “crestfallen”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pōl- →