Fallow

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈfæləʊ/
• US enPR: fălʹō, IPA: /ˈfæloÊŠ/
• Rhymes: -æləʊ

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).

Full definition of fallow

Noun

1. (agriculture, uncountable) Ground ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded for one year.
2. (agriculture, uncountable) Uncultivated land.
3. (agriculture, obsolete, countable) An area of fallow land.
4. The ploughing or tilling of land, without sowing it for a season.
• SinclairBy 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

Adjective

1. (of agricultural land) Ploughed but left unseeded for more than one planting season.
2. Inactive; undeveloped.

Derived terms

• apple-fallow
• fallow chat
• fallow finch
• fallowness
• lay fallow
• lie fallow

Verb

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

Derived terms

• fallowed
• fallowing
• re-fallow
• thry-fallow
• trifallow
• twifallow, twyfallow

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', Serbo-Croatian plâv 'blond, blue', Ancient Greek πολιός 'grey'), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- 'pale'.

Adjective

1. Of a pale red or yellow, light brown; dun.a fallow deer or greyhound

Related terms

• fallow deer