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

  1. A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid...

Ancestry of “downfall”, step by step

downfall traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Down

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDownusually known as County Down
2Middle Englishdoundown
3Old Englishdūnhill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain
4Proto-Germanic*dūnā—
5Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English fall

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

Words derived from “downfall”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →