Word: fall Part of Speech: noun Etymology: 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”. Pronunciation: /fɔːl/, /foːl/, /fɔl/, /faːl/, /fɑl/ 1. The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: the fall of the snow Example: the fall of the water 2. A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: “I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”. 3. 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. Labels: Canada, US, archaic, countable, uncountable Example: A friend has pointed out to me the following remark on this word: "In North America the season in which this [the fall of the leaf] takes place, derives its name from that circumstance, and instead of autumn is universally called the fall." [brackets in original] 4. A waterfall. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The celebrated fall of the Liffey, near Ballymore Eustace, is named Pool-a-Phooka, or The Pooka's Hole. 5. A loss of greatness or status. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: the fall of Rome 6. That which falls or cascades. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: A fall of hair tumbled down one side of her body like a veil. Example: The heat of Daniel's gaze was nearly incendiary as he took in the fall of her hair spilling across her shoulders and down to her elbows. 7. The height of that which falls or cascades. Labels: countable, uncountable 8. A crucial event or circumstance. Labels: countable, uncountable 9. A crucial event or circumstance. Labels: countable, uncountable 10. A crucial event or circumstance. Labels: countable, uncountable 11. A hairpiece for women consisting of long strands of hair on a woven backing, intended primarily to cover hair loss. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Female patients with localized hair loss on the top of scalp could select a fall or a demiwig to camouflage crown and anterior scalp loss. 12. Blame or punishment for a failure or misdeed. Labels: US, countable, informal, uncountable Example: He set up his rival to take the fall. 13. The part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting (usu. plural). Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Have the goodness to secure the falls of the mizzen halyards. Example: "[...] with one overhauled fall flying and an iron-bound block capering in the air." 14. An old Scots unit of measure equal to six ells. Labels: countable, uncountable 15. A short, flexible piece of leather forming part of a bullwhip, placed between the thong and the cracker. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Brooks fitted a new fall to his whip. 16. The lid, on a piano, that covers the keyboard. Labels: countable, uncountable