Meanings
fallow1
plural fallows
- uncountableagricultureGround ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded for one year.
Straight mine eye hath caught new pleasures Whilst the landskip round it measures, Russet lawns, and fallows gray, Where the nibbling flocks do stray; Mountains on whose barren breast The labouring clouds do often rest; Meadows trim with daisies pied, Shallow brooks, and rivers wide.
1645, John Milton, L'Allegro - uncountableagricultureUncultivated land.
- countableuncountableThe ploughing or tilling of land, without sowing it for a season.
By 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.
1832, Sir John Sinclair, The Code of Agriculture
comparative more fallow · superlative most fallow
- Ploughed but left unseeded for more than one planting season.
- Left unworked and uncropped for some amount of time.
- figurativelyInactive; undeveloped.
a fallow period in one's career
1 more example
After two more homeland hits and a fallow two years, Pickettywitch was parked and junked.
1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 316Synonyms: abeyant
fallow2
present singular third person fallows · participle present fallowing · participle past fallowed · past fallowed
- transitiveTo make land fallow for agricultural purposes.
fallow3
comparative more fallow · superlative most fallow
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveInactive; undeveloped.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveleft unplowed and unseeded during a growing season
adjectiveundeveloped but potentially useful
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
fallow · noun, adjective
- Proto-Indo-European*polḱéh₂“arable land”
- Proto-West Germanic*falgu
- Old Englishfealh
- Middle Englishfalwe
- Englishfallow
[Alt: A photograph of a ploughed field.] From Middle English falwe, from Old English fealh, fealg (“fallow land”), from Proto-West Germanic *falgu (compare Saterland Frisian Falge, West Frisian falig, felling, Dutch valg, German Felge), from Proto-Indo-European *polḱéh₂ (“arable land”) (compare Gaulish olca, Russian полоса́ (polosá)).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →fallow · verb
- Proto-West Germanic*falgōn“to fallow”
- Old Englishfealgian“to fallow; break up land”
- Middle Englishfalowen
- Englishfallow
From Middle English falowen, falwen, from Old English fealgian (“to fallow; break up land”), from Proto-West Germanic *falgōn (“to fallow”). Cognate with Dutch valgen (“to plow lightly; fallow”), German Low German falgen (“to till; dig a hole”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →fallow · adjective
- Proto-Indo-European*pelH-“pale, gray”
- Proto-Indo-European*polwos
- Proto-Germanic*falwaz
- Proto-West Germanic*falu
- Old Englishfealu
- Middle Englishfalwe
- Englishfallow
[Alt: A photograph of a light brown deer.] From Middle English falwe, from Old English fealu, from Proto-West Germanic *falu, from Proto-Germanic *falwaz (compare West Frisian feal, Dutch vaal, German falb, fahl, French fauve), from Proto-Indo-European *polwos (compare Lithuanian pal̃vas (“sallow, wan”), Russian поло́вый (polóvyj, “wan, light yellow”), Serbo-Croatian plâv (“blond, blue”), Ancient Greek πολιός (poliós, “grey”)), from Proto-Indo-European *pelH- (“pale, gray”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek νειός
- νειός (neiós)ground left unseeded for a year
Bulgarian у́гар, прелог
- у́гар (úgar)ground left unseeded for a year
- прелог (prelog)uncultivated land
- незасят (nezasjat)of land, left unseeded
- разоравам (razoravam)plough land without sowing seeds
- жълтокафяв (žăltokafjav)light brown; dun
Catalan guaret
- guaretground left unseeded for a year
Chinese Mandarin 休耕地, 荒地
- 休耕地 (xiūgēngdì)ground left unseeded for a year
- 荒地 (huāngdì)uncultivated land
Czech úhor, lada
- úhorground left unseeded for a year
- ladauncultivated land
- ladouncultivated land
- úhoruncultivated land
Danish brak, brak-
- brakground left unseeded for a year
- brak-uncultivated land
Dutch dries, valg
- driesground left unseeded for a year
- valgground left unseeded for a year
- braaklandground left unseeded for a year
- valgelandground left unseeded for a year
- braakliggendof land, left unseeded
Esperanto novalo, senkulturejo
- novaloground left unseeded for a year
- senkulturejouncultivated land
Estonian kesa, sööt
- kesaground left unseeded for a year
- söötuncultivated land
Finnish kesanto, joutomaa
- kesantoground left unseeded for a year
- joutomaauncultivated land
- viljelemätön maauncultivated land
- kesannoituof land, left unseeded
- kesannollaof land, left unseeded
- joutilasinactive, undeveloped
- kehittymätöninactive, undeveloped
- laiskainactive, undeveloped
- kesannoidaplough land without sowing seeds
French jachère, friche
- jachèreground left unseeded for a year
- fricheuncultivated land
- en jachèreof land, left unseeded
- en fricheof land, left unseeded
- en fricheinactive, undeveloped
German Grünbrache, Kulturbrache
- Grünbracheground left unseeded for a year
- Kulturbracheground left unseeded for a year
- Rotationsbracheground left unseeded for a year
- Bracheuncultivated land
- Brachlanduncultivated land
- brachof land, left unseeded
- brachliegendof land, left unseeded
- unbestelltof land, left unseeded
- brachliegendinactive, undeveloped
- unproduktivinactive, undeveloped
- brachlegenplough land without sowing seeds
- falblight brown; dun
- braungelblight brown; dun
- hellbraunlight brown; dun
Hungarian ugar, parlag
- ugarground left unseeded for a year
- parlagground left unseeded for a year
- ugaruncultivated land
- parlaguncultivated land
- keselight brown; dun
Irish branar, branar
- branarground left unseeded for a year
- branaruncultivated land
- fódbhánof land, left unseeded
- díomhaoininactive, undeveloped
- donnbhuílight brown; dun
Italian maggese, maggesare
- maggeseground left unseeded for a year
- maggesareplough land without sowing seeds
Latin vervactum
- vervactumground left unseeded for a year
Latvian papuve, papuve
- papuveground left unseeded for a year
- papuveuncultivated land
Lithuanian pūdymas, pūdymas
- pūdymasground left unseeded for a year
- pūdymasuncultivated land
Māori pātohe, papatua
- pātoheground left unseeded for a year
- papatuauncultivated land
- pātoheuncultivated land
- papatuaof land, left unseeded
Norwegian Bokmål brakk
- brakkof land, left unseeded
Persian آیش
- آیش (âyeš)ground left unseeded for a year
Polish ugór, odłóg
- ugórground left unseeded for a year
- odłógground left unseeded for a year
- ugóruncultivated land
- odłóguncultivated land
- odłogiof land, left unseeded
- odłogowyof land, left unseeded
- ugorowyof land, left unseeded
- odłogowaćplough land without sowing seeds
- ugorowaćplough land without sowing seeds
- płowylight brown; dun
Portuguese pousio, terra inculta
- pousioground left unseeded for a year
- terra incultauncultivated land
Romanian moină
- moinăground left unseeded for a year
Russian пар, пар
- пар (par)ground left unseeded for a year
- пар (par)uncultivated land
Slovak úhor, prieloh
- úhorground left unseeded for a year
- prielohground left unseeded for a year
- prielohuncultivated land
Spanish barbecho, guamil
- barbechoground left unseeded for a year
- guamilground left unseeded for a year
- barbechadaground left unseeded for a year
- yermouncultivated land
- barbecharplough land without sowing seeds
- abarbecharplough land without sowing seeds
Swedish träda, trädesåker
- trädaground left unseeded for a year
- trädesåkerground left unseeded for a year
Turkish nadas
- nadasground left unseeded for a year
Ukrainian пар
- пар (par)ground left unseeded for a year
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with fallow
All rhymes →Cite this entry
fallow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fallow
“fallow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fallow. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fallow,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fallow.
Source: fallow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.