Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “waterfall” come from?

Waterfall comes from Middle English waterfal, from Old English wæterġefeall, a compound of water and fall.

waterfall (English): a flow of water over the edge of a cliff; A...

Definitions

  1. a flow of water over the edge of a cliff; A...

Ancestry of “waterfall”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwaterfal—
2Old Englishwæterġefeallwaterfall
Every word from Old English wæterġefeall →