*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of fall

Verb from Middle English fallen, from Old English feallan (“to fall, fail, decay, die, attack”), from Proto-West Germanic *fallan (“to fall”), from Proto-Germanic *fallaną (“to fall”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃elh₁- (

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity. · A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc. · The time of the year when the leaves typically fall from the trees; autumn; the season of the year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. · A waterfall.

verb

To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity. · To come down, to drop or descend. · To come as if by dropping down. · To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Verb from Middle English fallen, from Old English feallan (“to fall, fail, decay, die, attack”), from Proto-West Germanic *fallan (“to fall”), from Proto-Germanic *fallaną (“to fall”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃elh₁- (“to collapse, fall; to destroy”). Cognates Cognate with Scots faw (“to fall”), Yola vale, vall, vole (“to fall”), North Frisian faal, fåle (“to fall”), Saterland Frisian faale (“to fall”), West Frisian falle (“to fall”), Bavarian foin (“to fall”), Cimbrian ballan, vallan (“to fall”), Dutch vallen (“to fall”), German and Low German fallen (“to fall”), Luxembourgish falen (“to fall”), Yiddish פֿאַלן (faln, “to fall”), Danish falde (“to fall”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish falla (“to fall”), Norwegian Bokmål falle (“to fall”), Norwegian Nynorsk falla, falle (“to fall”); also Latin aboleō (“to destroy; to die”), Ancient Greek ὄλλῡμι (óllūmi, “to destroy; to lose”), Armenian եղեռն (eġeṙn, “crime; calamity, catastrophe; slaughter”), Lithuanian pùlti (“to fall; to attack, assault”). Noun from Middle English fal, fall, falle, from Old English feall, ġefeall (“a falling, fall”) and Old English fealle (“trap, snare”), from Proto-Germanic *fallą, *fallaz (“a fall, trap”). Cognate with Yola vall (“fall”), Dutch val (“fall”), German Fall (“fall”), Danish fald (“fall”), Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish fall (“fall”). Sense of "autumn" is attested by the 1660s in England as a shortening of fall of the leaf (1540s), from the falling of leaves during this season. Along with autumn, it mostly replaced the older name harvest as that name began to be associated strictly with the act of harvesting. Compare spring, which began as a shortening of “spring of the leaf”.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionfallenenm
  • Inherited-form mentionfeallanang · to fall, fail, decay, die, attack
  • Inherited-form mention*fallangmw-pro · to fall
  • Inherited-form mention*fallanągem-pro · to fall
  • Inherited-form mention*h₃elh₁-ine-pro · to collapse, fall; to destroy
  • Cognate mentionfawsco · to fall
  • Cognate mentionvaleyol
  • Cognate mentionfaalfrr
  • Cognate mentionfaalestq · to fall
  • Cognate mentionfallefy · to fall
  • Cognate mentionfoinbar · to fall
  • Cognate mentionballancim
  • Cognate mentionvallennl · to fall
  • Cognate mentionfalenlb · to fall
  • Cognate mentionפֿאַלןyi · to fall
  • Cognate mentionfaldeda · to fall
  • Cognate mentionfallenb · to fall
  • Cognate mentionfallann
  • Cognate mentionaboleōla · to destroy; to die
  • Cognate mentionὄλλῡμιgrc · to destroy; to lose
  • Cognate mentionեղեռնhy · crime; calamity, catastrophe; slaughter
  • Cognate mentionpùltilt · to fall; to attack, assault
  • Inherited-form mentionfalenm
  • Inherited-form mentionfeallang
  • Inherited-form mentionfealleang · trap, snare
  • Inherited-form mention*fallągem-pro
  • Cognate mentionvallyol · fall
  • Cognate mentionvalnl · fall
  • Cognate mentionFallde · fall
  • Cognate mentionfaldda · fall

This page abbreviates 34 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fallen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fallen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "feallan",
        "t": "to fall, fail, decay, die, attack"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English feallan (“to fall, fail, decay, die, attack”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*fallan",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *fallan (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*fallaną",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *fallaną (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₃elh₁-",
        "t": "to collapse, fall; to destroy"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₃elh₁- (“to collapse, fall; to destroy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "faw",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots faw (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yol",
        "2": "vale"
      },
      "expansion": "Yola vale"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "faal"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian faal"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "faale",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian faale (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "falle",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian falle (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "bar",
        "2": "foin",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Bavarian foin (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cim",
        "2": "ballan"
      },
      "expansion": "Cimbrian ballan"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "vallen",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch vallen (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de,nds",
        "2": "fallen",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "German and Low German fallen (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lb",
        "2": "falen",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Luxembourgish falen (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yi",
        "2": "פֿאַלן",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish פֿאַלן (faln, “to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "falde",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish falde (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo,is,sv",
        "2": "falla",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish falla (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nb",
        "2": "falle",
        "t": "to fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Bokmål falle (“to fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nn",
        "2": "falla"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Nynorsk falla"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "aboleō",
        "t": "to destroy; to die"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin aboleō (“to destroy; to die”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "ὄλλῡμι",
        "t": "to destroy; to lose"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ὄλλῡμι (óllūmi, “to destroy; to lose”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "hy",
        "2": "եղեռն",
        "t": "crime; calamity, catastrophe; slaughter"
      },
      "expansion": "Armenian եղեռն (eġeṙn, “crime; calamity, catastrophe; slaughter”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lt",
        "2": "pùlti",
        "t": "to fall; to attack, assault"
      },
      "expansion": "Lithuanian pùlti (“to fall; to attack, assault”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fal"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fal"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "feall"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English feall"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "fealle",
        "t": "trap, snare"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fealle (“trap, snare”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*fallą"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *fallą"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yol",
        "2": "vall",
        "t": "fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Yola vall (“fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "val",
        "t": "fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch val (“fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Fall",
        "t": "fall"
      },
      "expansion": "German Fall (“fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "fald",
        "t": "fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish fald (“fall”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo,is,nb,nn,sv",
        "2": "fall",
        "t": "fall"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish fall (“fall”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fallen",
      "fallen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "feallan",
      "feallan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*fallan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/fallan"
    ],
    [
      "*fallaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/fallaną"
    ],
    [
      "*h₃elh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₃elh₁-"
    ],
    [
      "faw",
      "faw#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "vale",
      "vale#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "vall",
      "vall#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "vole",
      "vole#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "faal",
      "faal#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "fåle",
      "fåle#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "faale",
      "faale#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "falle",
      "falle#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "foin",
      "foin#Bavarian"
    ],
    [
      "ballan",
      "ballan#Cimbrian"
    ],
    [
      "vallan",
      "vallan#Cimbrian"
    ],
    [
      "vallen",
      "vallen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "German",
      "fallen#German"
    ],
    [
      "fallen",
      "fallen#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "falen",
      "falen#Luxembourgish"
    ],
    [
      "פֿאַלן",
      "פֿאַלן#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "falde",
      "falde#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "Faroese",
      "falla#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "Icelandic",
      "falla#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "falla",
      "falla#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "falle",
      "falle#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "falla",
      "falla#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "falle",
      "falle#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "aboleō",
      "aboleo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ὄλλῡμι",
      "ὄλλυμι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "եղեռն",
      "եղեռն#Armenian"
    ],
    [
      "pùlti",
      "pulti#Lithuanian"
    ],
    [
      "fal",
      "fal#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fall",
      "fall#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "falle",
      "falle#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "feall",
      "feall#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġefeall",
      "gefeall#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "fealle",
      "fealle#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*fallą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/fallą"
    ],
    [
      "*fallaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/fallaz"
    ],
    [
      "vall",
      "vall#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "val",
      "val#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Fall",
      "Fall#German"
    ],
    [
      "fald",
      "fald#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "Faroese",
      "fall#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "Icelandic",
      "fall#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "fall#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "fall#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "fall",
      "fall#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "England",
      "England"
    ],
    [
      "fall of the leaf",
      "fall of the leaf"
    ],
    [
      "harvest",
      "harvest"
    ],
    [
      "spring",
      "spring"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.",
        "A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc.",
        "The time of the year when the leaves typically fall from the trees; autumn; the season of the year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.",
        "A waterfall."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "Canada",
        "US",
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "169196df192e03b8b9b0c11214abadfd8a3048d99769ccbfd3005044bc1e0c3c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "864814a1d35bd52c2501ac0b1905e8aa89e5f14fbf9a504585da5679bbbc0ed9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 15812
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.",
        "To come down, to drop or descend.",
        "To come as if by dropping down.",
        "To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "68e7dbbd0e97b197329c461157ca6da6435186d0259c9196ef3b8c9c4c313cab",
      "rawRecordSha256": "17d7ec1c41331fe81299379a393f552efd7f948e74886f572856b4e30602b7a3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 15811
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 34,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The chasing of a hunted whale.

intj

The cry given when a whale is sighted, or harpooned.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Perhaps from the north-eastern Scottish pronunciation of whale.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "whale",
      "whale#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The chasing of a hunted whale."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "1a44e8f8e29f7c9ed6cc83d05212604bf5f383dcb237ddd0e957fdbd725483fc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "34e43b3ed5b0a672528e8293625fb0e59b2c9858da21ffa7ff087284c6d59d18",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 15814
    },
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "The cry given when a whale is sighted, or harpooned."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f033871633342b276c7def8054f19fa3d4e5ee545c6efae2e81308c70f0c796a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d9f3030ec68f0737978ad63fe899c6dcd4856c254b82946be85dd43f8ca89b9c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 15813
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for fall →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZmFsbA