fallow

[ fal-oh ]

/ ˈfæl oʊ /

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See synonyms for fallow on Thesaurus.com

adjective

(of land) plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated.

not in use; inactive: My creative energies have lain fallow this year.

noun

land that has undergone plowing and harrowing and has been left unseeded for one or more growing seasons.

verb (used with object)

to make (land) fallow for agricultural purposes.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of fallow

1275–1325; Middle English falwe; compare Old English fealga, plural of *fealh, as gloss of Medieval Latin occas harrows

OTHER WORDS FROM fallow

fal·low·ness, nounun·fal·lowed, adjective

Words nearby fallow

fallopian tube, fallopian tubes, Fallot's tetralogy, fallout, fall over, fallow, fallow deer, Fall River, Falls, fall short of, fall through

Other definitions for fallow (2 of 2)

fallow²

[ fal-oh ]

/ ˈfæl oʊ /

adjective

pale-yellow; light-brown; dun.

Origin of fallow

before 1000; Middle English fal(o)we,Old English fealu; cognate with German falb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fallow in a sentence

There are reports of farmers allowing fields to go fallow this spring because there probably will not be enough water to sustain some crops through the season.
California facing drought crisis as water shortages mount and fire danger escalates|Diana Leonard, Laris Karklis|May 21, 2021|Washington Post
If their dispute is not resolved in the next few weeks, Crummell could remain fallow for years to come.
Children in Ivy City have already waited too long for a place to play|Theresa Vargas|May 12, 2021|Washington Post
If their dispute is not resolved in the next few weeks, Crummell could remain fallow for years to come, a prospect that infuriates residents such as Brenda Ingram, who lives down the street, in a house next door to where she grew up.
Inside the housing showdown in D.C.’s Ivy City, where kids have no place to play|Paul Schwartzman|May 7, 2021|Washington Post
By allowing fields to lie fallow, or planting cover crops, they can return nutrients to the soil.
Humanity’s greatest ally against climate change is the Earth itself|Sarah Kaplan|April 22, 2021|Washington Post

Hachimura had 17 points but, like Beal, was fallow from beyond the arc, missing his three attempts.
Wizards are off the mark again, fall at home to Kings as skid reaches five|Ava Wallace|March 18, 2021|Washington Post
The mobilizing energy of the campaign fell fallow after Inauguration Day in 2009.
Progressive-palooza: On Obama, Occupy, and Moral Monday|Jedediah Purdy|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many of the signs posted on the fields that are supposed to be left fallow now litter the road ditches.
The Mafia Plants Death in Italy’s Land of Mozzarella|Barbie Latza Nadeau|March 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But cider production and consumption is on the rise after a long fallow period.
What the Pilgrims Drank on Thanksgiving|Jordan Salcito|November 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Professionally, Vidal's last decade while not fallow was not golden.
Gore Vidal’s Tragic Final Decade|Tim Teeman|November 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For the next three decades the team lay fallow, promising much, achieving nothing.
A Manchester United Fan Defends His Faith|Peter Pomerantsev|May 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In no farm, however, is the fallow laid aside; it is considered as indispensable for wheat, and on poor lands for rye.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
This appears clear from Aristotle placing the bubalus with the stags and fallow deer, and not with the oxen.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VIII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
There are many herds of them in the royal menagerie; and they produce together as freely as the fallow-deer.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VIII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
It would be a difficult point to determine the original species of the fallow-deer.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
The smallest roe-bucks are generally of a fallow colour, and the largest brown.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon

British Dictionary definitions for fallow (1 of 2)

fallow¹

/ (ˈfæləʊ) /

adjective

(of land) left unseeded after being ploughed and harrowed to regain fertility for a crop

(of an idea, state of mind, etc) undeveloped or inactive, but potentially useful

noun

land treated in this way

verb

(tr) to leave (land) unseeded after ploughing and harrowing it

Derived forms of fallow

fallowness, noun

Word Origin for fallow

Old English fealga; related to Greek polos ploughed field

British Dictionary definitions for fallow (2 of 2)

fallow²

/ (ˈfæləʊ) /

adjective

of a light yellowish-brown colour

Word Origin for fallow

Old English fealu; related to Old Norse fölr, Old Saxon, Old High German falo, Latin pallidus Greek polios grey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fallow

Origin of fallow

OTHER WORDS FROM fallow

Words nearby fallow

Other definitions for fallow (2 of 2)

Origin of fallow

Words related to fallow

How to use fallow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fallow (1 of 2)

Derived forms of fallow

Word Origin for fallow

British Dictionary definitions for fallow (2 of 2)

Word Origin for fallow