Where does “fall” come from?

fall (Old Norse) comes from Old Norse falla, from Proto-Germanic fallaną, from Proto-Indo-European pōl-, from Slovincian pól, from Proto-Slavic polъ, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pelH- — to split off, separate; to chop, to separate.

Ancestry of “fall”, step by step

fall traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse falla

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsefallato fall
2Proto-Germanicfallanąto fall
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpōl-—
4Slovincianpólhalf
5Proto-Slavicpolъside, flank; half; member of a pair of options →...
6Proto-Indo-European(s)pelH-to split off, separate; to chop, to separate

via Proto-Germanic fallaz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicfallaza fall; death, destruction, downfall
2GermanFalzfold; rabbet, rebate; seam
3Latinfalxsickle, scythe; a hook used to pull down walls
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰelg-a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin

Words derived from “fall”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pelH- →