Showing results for "fallen"

• past participle of fall.

fallen

American  

[faw-luhn] / ˈfɔ lən /

verb

1. past participle of fall.

---

adjective

1. having dropped or come down from a higher place, from an upright position, or from a higher level, degree, amount, quality, value, number, etc.

2. on the ground; prostrate; down flat.

   Exhausted, the racers lay fallen by the road.

3. degraded or immoral.

4. (of a woman) having lost her chastity.

5. overthrown, destroyed, or conquered.

   a fallen city.

6. dead.

   fallen troops.

fallen British  

/ ˈfɔːlən /

verb

1. the past participle of fall

---

adjective

1. having sunk in reputation or honour

   a fallen woman

2. killed in battle with glory

   our fallen heroes

3. defeated

Other Word Forms

• unfallen
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fallen

First recorded before 900, for the adjective

Explanation

Something that's fallen has dropped to the ground. You might collect fallen apples to make into cider or applesauce. The most literal sense of something fallen is just what it sounds like — an object that's moved from a high place to a lower place, usually due to gravity. There are also some figurative meanings: a fallen soldier has died on the battlefield, and a fallen person has committed a moral sin or ruined his reputation. In the 17th century, fallen frequently meant "morally ruined," more often describing a women than a man.

Related Words

• collapsed
• decayed