Where does “fall” come from?

Fall comes from English wale, Proto-Germanic fallaną meaning to fall or tumble, and Proto-Indo-European roots including pōl-, (s)kʷálos, and wel- related to turning or rolling motion.

fall (English): "To be moved downwards."; "To move downwards.";...

Definitions

  1. "To be moved downwards."; "To move downwards.";...

Ancestry of “fall”, step by step

fall traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English fall

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfall—
2Old EnglishfeallAlternative form of fiell
3Proto-Germanicfallą—
4Proto-Indo-European(s)pōl-to fall

via Old English fealle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfealletrap
2Proto-Germanicfallǭ—

Words derived from “fall”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pōl- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fallą →Every word from Old English feall →