Definition of
Fallow
- (noun, object) cultivated land that is not seeded for one or more growing seasons
- (adj, all) left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season
- (adj, all) undeveloped but potentially useful
via WordNet, Princeton University
Alternate forms of Fallow
Derivations: fallow
Hypernyms: cultivated land, farmland, ploughland, plowland, tillage, tilled land, tilth
Origin of the word Fallow
- O.E. fealh "fallow land," from P.Gmc. *falgo (cf. O.H.G. felga "harrow," E.Fris. falge "fallow," falgen "to break up ground"), perhaps from a derivation of PIE base *pel- "to turn," assimilated in Eng. to fallow (adj.) because of the color of plowed earth. Originally "plowed land," then "land plowed but not planted" (1523). more
- O.E. fealu "pale, faded, dark, yellowish-brown," from P.Gmc. *falwaz (cf. O.N. f?lr, M.Du. valu, Ger. falb), from PIE *polwos "dark-colored, gray" (cf. O.C.S. plavu, Lith. palvas "sallow," Gk. polios, Welsh llwyd "gray," L. pallere "to be pale"). It also forms the root of words for "pigeon" in Gk. (… more
via Online Etymology Dictionary, ©2001 Douglas Harper