Fall
/fɔːl/noun
To move downward under the force of gravity, or to drop from a higher to a lower position.
Did you know?English fall is inherited from Proto-Germanic *fallaną, and its deep cousins spread through Germanic languages with the same stark physical sense of a sudden downward collapse.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰel-
“to strike, beat, or knock down”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fallaną
“to fall, tumble down”
Old English
English
feallan
“to fall, collapse, perish”
Middle English
English
fallen
“to fall, drop, decline”
Modern English
English
fall
“to move downward or descend under gravity”