fall

== English == === Pronunciation === (UK) (Received Pronunciation) enPR: fôl, IPA(key): /fɔːl/ (Northumbria) IPA(key): /faːl/ (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): /foːl/ (fool-fall merger) IPA(key): /fuːl/ (General American) enPR: fôl, IPA(key): /fɔl/ (cot–caught merger) enPR: fäl IPA(key): /fɑl/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /fo(ː)l/ Rhymes: -ɔːl === Etymology 1 === 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”). 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”. ==== Alternative forms ==== fal (obsolete) ==== Verb ==== fall (third-person singular simple present falls, present participle falling, simple past fell, past participle fallen) (heading, intransitive) To be moved downwards. 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. 1971, Henry Raup Wagner, Spanish Explorations in the Strait of Juan de Fuca: Shortly afterwards a breeze came up from the N […] dark clouds closing in over everything. At 3 in the afternoon the breeze came up from the S with a thick drizzle. Thus night fell, and thus we passed the rest of it. To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself. To be brought to the ground. (transitive) To move downwards. (obsolete) To let fall; to drop. (obsolete) To sink; to depress. (UK, US, dialect, archaic) To fell; to cut down. (intransitive) To change, often negatively. (copulative, in idiomatic expressions) To become (chiefly used with negative states). Near-synonyms: become, get, go, turn, come, grow, wax She has fallen ill. The children fell asleep in the back of the car. When did you first fall in love? fall silent, fall sick, fall pregnant, fall victim to something 1971, Henry Raup Wagner, Spanish Explorations in the Strait of Juan de Fuca: Shortly afterwards a breeze came up from the N and then it fell calm, […] (intransitive) To collapse; to be overthrown or defeated. (intransitive, formal, euphemistic) To die, especially in battle or by disease. (intransitive) To become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc.). To occur (on a certain day of the week, date, or similar); to happen. (intransitive) To be allotted to; to arrive through chance, fate, or inheritance. (transitive, obsolete) To diminish; to lessen or lower. (transitive, obsolete) To bring forth. (intransitive, obsolete) To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; said of the young of certain animals. (intransitive) To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin. (intransitive) To become ensnared or entrapped; to be worse off than before. (intransitive) To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; said of the face. (intransitive) To happen; to come to pass; to chance or light (upon). 1879, Herbert Spencer, Principles of Sociology Volume II – Part IV: Ceremonial Institutions Primitive men […] do not make laws, they fall into customs. (intransitive) To begin with haste, ardour, or vehemence; to rush or hurry. 1881, Benjamin Jowett (Thucydides) They now no longer doubted, but fell to work heart and soul. (intransitive) To be dropped or uttered carelessly. (intransitive, of a fabric) To hang down (under the influence of gravity). (intransitive, slang, African-American Vernacular) To visit; to go to a place. ===== Synonyms ===== (move to a lower position under the effect of gravity): drop, plummet, plunge (come down): come down, descend, drop (come to the ground deliberately): drop, lower oneself, prostrate oneself (be brought to the ground): (collapse; be overthrown or defeated): be beaten by, be defeated by, be overthrown by, be smitten by, be vanquished by, (die): die (be allotted to): be the responsibility of, be up to (become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc)): dip, drop (become): become, get (cause (something) to descend to the ground): cut down (of a tree), fell, knock down, knock over, strike down ===== Antonyms ===== (antonym(s) of “come down”): ascend, go up, rise (antonym(s) of “come to the ground deliberately”): get up, pick oneself up, stand up (collapse; be overthrown or defeated): beat, defeat, overthrow, smite, vanquish (become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc)): rise ===== Coordinate terms ===== topple tumble ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== fall (countable and uncountable, plural falls) The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity. the fall of the leaf A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc. (chiefly Canada, US, archaic in Britain) 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. [from 16th c.] A loss of greatness or status. That which falls or cascades. The height of that which falls or cascades. (sports) A crucial event or circumstance. (cricket, of a wicket) The action of a batsman being out. (curling) A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown into an area to drift in a given direction. (wrestling) An instance of a wrestler being pinned to the mat. A hairpiece for women consisting of long strands of hair on a woven backing, intended primarily to cover hair loss. (informal, US) Blame or punishment for a failure or misdeed. (nautical) The part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting (usu. plural). An old Scots unit of measure equal to six ells. A short, flexible piece of leather forming part of a bullwhip, placed between the thong and the cracker. The lid, on a piano, that covers the keyboard. ===== Usage notes ===== The phrase have a fall, as opposed to fall over or fall down, is typically reserved for older people for whom a fall is more likely to be a medical emergency. However, this phrase can be considered patronizing by those to whom it is applied. ===== Synonyms ===== (act of moving to a lower position): descent, drop (reduction): decrease, dip, drop, lowering, reduction (season): autumn, (UK dialect) harvest, (UK dialect) back end (loss of greatness or status): downfall (blame; punishment): rap ===== Antonyms ===== (antonym(s) of “act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity”): ascent, rise (antonym(s) of “reduction”): increase, rise (antonym(s) of “loss of greatness or status”): ascent, rise ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== See also ==== falls === Etymology 2 === Perhaps from the north-eastern Scottish pronunciation of whale. ==== Interjection ==== fall (nautical) The cry given when a whale is sighted, or harpooned. ==== Noun ==== fall (plural falls) (nautical) The chasing of a hunted whale. ===== Derived terms ===== loose fall === References === == Albanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish فال (fal, “fortune-telling”), from Arabic فَأْل (faʔl, “omen”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /faɫ/ === Noun === fall m (plural falle, definite falli, definite plural fallet) fortune-telling ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === References === === Further reading === Bufli, G.; Rocchi, L. (2021), “fall”, in A historical-etymological dictionary of Turkisms in Albanian (1555–1954), Trieste: Edizioni Università di Trieste, page 155 == Breton == === Adjective === fall bad == Catalan == === Etymology === Deverbal from fallir. === Noun === fall m (plural falls) cliff ==== Related terms ==== falla === Further reading === “fall”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 == Faroese == === Etymology === From Old Norse fall, from falla (“to fall”). The grammatical sense is a calque of Latin casus. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fatl/ === Noun === fall n (genitive singular fals, plural føll) fall, drop case (linguistics) ==== Declension ==== == German == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fal/ Rhymes: -al === Verb === fall singular imperative of fallen (colloquial) first-person singular present of fallen == Icelandic == === Etymology === From Old Norse fall, from falla (“to fall”). The grammatical sense is a calque of Latin casus. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fatl/ Rhymes: -atl === Noun === fall n (genitive singular falls, nominative plural föll) fall, drop (grammar) case (computing, programming) function; (subprogram, usually with formal parameters, returning a data value when called) Synonym: fallstefja indefinite accusative singular of fall ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === See also === falla (verb) == Norwegian Bokmål == === Noun === fall n (definite singular fallet, indefinite plural fall, definite plural falla or fallene) a fall case i fall ― in case i alle fall ― in any case ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== falle (verb) === Verb === fall imperative of falle === References === “fall” in The Bokmål Dictionary. == Norwegian Nynorsk == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fɑlː/ === Noun === fall n (definite singular fallet, indefinite plural fall, definite plural falla) a fall case ==== Derived terms ==== === Verb === fall past tense of falle imperative of falle === References === “fall” in The Nynorsk Dictionary. == Old Irish == === Alternative forms === faill (dative for nominative) === Etymology === From Proto-Celtic *walsā. Cognate to Welsh gwall and Breton gwall. === Noun === fall f (genitive faille, nominative plural falla) neglect ==== Inflection ==== ==== Descendants ==== Middle Irish: faill Irish: faill === Mutation === === References === === Further reading === Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 faill”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language == Swedish == === Etymology === From Old Norse fall, from falla (“to fall”). The grammatical sense is a calque of Latin casus. === Pronunciation === === Noun === fall n a fall (the act of falling) a fall, loss of greatness or wealth, a bankruptcy Romarrikets uppgång och fall ― the rise and fall of the Roman empire a slope, a waterfall, the height of a slope or waterfall fallet är omgivet av skog ― the fall is surrounded by forest fallet är sjutton meter ― the water falls seventeen metres; the decline is seventeen metres a (legal) case i alla fall ― anyhow (in all cases) i annat fall ― otherwise (in another case) i så fall ― if so (in such a case) i vilket fall som helst ― in any case i vart fall ― in any case ==== Declension ==== ==== Hyponyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Verb === fall imperative of falla === References === “fall”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)