Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fallow” come from?

Fallow comes from Middle English falowen, from Old English fealu combined with the Old English verb-forming suffix -ian, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European pelH- with the feminine suffix -eh₂.

fallow (English): Ground ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded...

Definitions

  1. Ground ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded...

Ancestry of “fallow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfalowenAlternative form of falwen
2Old Englishfealgianto fallow; break up land
3Proto-West Germanicfalgōnto break up ground; till; plough land; fallow
4Proto-West Germanic-ōnCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
5Proto-Germanic-ōnąCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
6Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
7Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
9Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “fallow”

  • fallowness
  • thryfallow
  • fallower
  • twifallow
  • fallowist
  • trifallow
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