Where does “Fallout” come from?
Fallout (German) comes from English fallout, from English fall, from Middle English fall, from Old English feall, from Proto-Germanic fallą, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pōl- — to fall.
Fallout (German): radioactive fallout
Ancestry of “Fallout”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fallout | The event of small airborne particles falling to... |
| 2 | English | fall | "To be moved downwards."; "To move downwards.";... |
| 3 | Middle English | fall | — |
| 4 | Old English | feall | Alternative form of fiell |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fallą | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pōl- | to fall |