Where does “downfall” come from?
Downfall combines English fall from Proto-Germanic fallaną (to fall) and English whale from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pōl- and (s)kʷálos.
downfall (English): A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid...
Definitions
- A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid...
Ancestry of “downfall”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Down | — |
| 2 | Middle English | doun | down |
| 3 | Old English | dūn | hill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *dūnā | — |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
Words derived from “downfall”