fallow
/ˈfæl.oʊ/
adjective
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*falwaz — pale or yellow
Overview
Meaning Now
- Of land: plowed and tilled, but left unseeded for a season or more to restore fertility.
- Inactive or dormant, especially regarding the mind or creative potential.
- A pale brownish-yellow or reddish-yellow color.
Literal older meaning
pale or yellowish
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
fealu
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
The term historically referred to the color of the earth when plowed but not planted, which exposed light-colored soil. Agricultural practices in the medieval period frequently involved rotating fields by leaving them fallow to allow soil nutrients to recover, linking the color to the agricultural method.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*pel-
“pale, gray, or yellow”
Root for pale/yellow colors.
- Proto-Germanic
*falwaz
“pale yellow”
- Old English
fealu
“yellowish, tawny”
- Middle English
fallow
“plowed land left unseeded”
Sense developed from the appearance of open, dry, or yellowish earth.
Connections
Word parts
fallow
root
pale/yellow
Related across languages
Old High German
falo
pale, yellow
Old Norse
fölr
pale
Latin
pallidus
pale
Explore next
Related to fallow
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.