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
- Sad because of a recent disappointment;...
Ancestry of “crestfallen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fallen | past participle of fall; Having dropped by the... |
| 2 | English | fall | "To be moved downwards."; "To move downwards.";... |
| 3 | Middle English | fall | — |
| 4 | Old English | feall | Alternative form of fiell |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fallą | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pōl- | to fall |
Words derived from “crestfallen”