Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Fallow

Fal′low

,
Adj.
[AS.
fealu
,
fealo
, pale yellow or red; akin to D.
vaal
fallow, faded, OHG.
falo
, G.
falb
,
fahl
, Icel.
fölr
, and prob. to Lith.
palvas
, OSlav.
plavŭ
white, L.
pallidus
pale,
pallere
to be pale, Gr.
πολιόσ
gray, Skr.
palita
. Cf.
Pale
,
Favel
,
Adj.
,
Favor
.]
1.
Pale red or pale yellow;
as, a
fallow
deer or greyhound
.
Shak.
2.
[Cf.
Fallow
,
Noun.
]
Left untilled or unsowed after plowing; uncultivated;
as,
fallow
ground
.
Fallow chat
,
Fallow finch
(Zool.)
,
a small European bird, the wheatear (
Saxicola œnanthe
). See
Wheatear
.

Fal′low

,
Noun.
[So called from the
fallow
, or somewhat yellow, color of naked ground; or perh. akin to E.
felly
,
Noun.
, cf. MHG.
valgen
to plow up, OHG.
felga
felly, harrow.]
1.
Plowed land.
[Obs.]
Who . . . pricketh his blind horse over the
fallows
.
Chaucer.
2.
Land that has lain a year or more untilled or unseeded; land plowed without being sowed for the season.
The plowing of
fallows
is a benefit to land.
Mortimer.
3.
The plowing or tilling of land, without sowing it for a season;
as, summer
fallow
, properly conducted, has ever been found a sure method of destroying weeds
.
Be a complete summer
fallow
, land is rendered tender and mellow. The
fallow
gives it a better tilth than can be given by a fallow crop.
Sinclair.
Fallow crop
,
the crop taken from a green fallow.
[Eng.]
–
Green fallow
,
fallow whereby land is rendered mellow and clean from weeds, by cultivating some green crop, as turnips, potatoes, etc.
[Eng.]

Fal′low

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Fallowed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Fallowing
.]
[From
Fallow
,
Noun.
]
To plow, harrow, and break up, as land, without seeding, for the purpose of destroying weeds and insects, and rendering it mellow;
as, it is profitable to
fallow
cold, strong, clayey land
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Fallow

FAL'LOW

,
Adj.
[L. fulvus; qu. helvus, for felvus. This word may be from the root of fail, fallo; so called from the fading color of autumnal leaves, or from failure, withering. Hence also the sense of unoccupied, applied to land.]
1.
Pale red or pale yellow; as a fallow deer.
2.
Unsowed; not tilled; left to rest after a year or more of tillage; as fallow ground; a fallow field.
Break up your fallow ground. Jer. 4.
3.
Left unsowed after plowing. The word is applied to the land after plowing.
4.
Unplowed; uncultivated.
5.
Unoccupied; neglected. [Not in use.]
Let the cause lie fallow.

FAL'LOW

,
Noun.
1.
Land that has lain a year or more untilled or unseeded. It is also called fallow when plowed without being sowed.
The plowing of fallows is a benefit to land.
2.
The plowing or tilling of land, without sowing it, for a season. Summer fallow, properly conducted, has ever been found a sure method of destroying weeds.
By a complete summer fallow, land is rendered tender and mellow. The fallow gives it a better tilth, than can be given by a fallow crop.
A green fallow, in England, is that where land is rendered mellow and clean from weeks, by means of some green crop, as turnips, potatoes, &c.

FAL'LOW

,
Verb.
I.
To fade; to become yellow. Obs.

FAL'LOW

,
Verb.
T.
To plow, harrow and break land without seeding it, for the purpose of destroying weeds and insects, and rendering it mellow. It is found for the interest of the farmer to fallow cold, strong, clayey land.

Definition 2024

fallow

fallow

English

Noun

fallow ‎(countable and uncountable, plural fallows)

  1. (agriculture, uncountable) Ground ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded for one year.
  2. (agriculture, uncountable) Uncultivated land.
  3. The ploughing or tilling of land, without sowing it for a season.
    • Sinclair
      By a complete summer fallow, land is rendered tender and mellow. The fallow gives it a better tilth than can be given by a fallow crop.
Derived terms
  • bastard fallow
  • cropped fallow
  • dead-fallow
  • ecofallow
  • fallow-break
  • fallow chat
  • fallow crop
  • fallow-field
  • fallow finch
  • fallow ground
Translations

Adjective

fallow

  1. (of agricultural land) Ploughed but left unseeded for more than one planting season.
  2. (figuratively) Inactive; undeveloped.
    a fallow period in one's career
Derived terms
  • apple-fallow
  • fallow chat
  • fallow finch
  • fallowness
  • lay fallow
  • lie fallow
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English falowen, falwen, from Old English fealgian ‎(“to fallow; break up land”), from Proto-Germanic *falgōną ‎(“to fallow”). Cognate with Dutch valgen ‎(“to plow lightly; fallow”), German Low German falgen ‎(“to till; dig a hole”).

Verb

fallow ‎(third-person singular simple present fallows, present participle fallowing, simple past and past participle fallowed)

  1. (transitive) To make land fallow for agricultural purposes.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English falwe, from Old English fealu, from Proto-Germanic *falwaz (compare West Frisian feal, Dutch vaal, German falb, fahl), from Proto-Indo-European *polʷos (compare Lithuanian pal̃vas 'sallow, wan', Russian половый ‎(polovyj) 'wan, light yellow', Serbo-Croatian plâv 'blond, blue', Ancient Greek πολιός ‎(poliós) 'grey'), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- 'pale'.

Adjective

fallow ‎(comparative more fallow, superlative most fallow)

  1. Of a pale red or yellow, light brown; dun.
    a fallow deer or greyhound
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
Related terms
Translations

References

  • “fallow” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

Etymology

From Middle English falow, from Old English fealh ‎(“fallow land”), from Proto-Germanic *falgō (compare East Frisian falge, Dutch valg, German Felge), from Proto-Indo-European *polḱéh₂ ‎(“arable land”) (compare Gaulish olca, Russian полоса́ ‎(polosá)).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈfæləʊ/
  • (US) enPR: fălʹō, IPA(key): /ˈfæloʊ/
  • Rhymes: -æləʊ

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