Where does “fallen” come from?
fallen (German) comes from Middle High German vellen, from Old High German fellen, from Proto-Germanic *fallijan, from Proto-Germanic fallijaną, from Proto-Germanic fallaną, from Proto-Indo-European pōl-, from Slovincian pól, from Proto-Slavic polъ — to split off, separate; to chop, to separate.
fallen (German): to cut down, to fell; to precipitate; to make
Definitions
- to cut down, to fell; to precipitate; to make
Ancestry of “fallen”, step by step
fallen traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle High German vellen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | vellen | — |
| 2 | Old High German | fellen | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *fallijan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fallijaną | to cause to fall, to fell |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fallaną | to fall |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pōl- | — |
| 7 | Slovincian | pól | half |
| 8 | Proto-Slavic | polъ | side, flank; half; member of a pair of options →... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pelH- | to split off, separate; to chop, to separate |