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fallen

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: Fallen, fällen, Fällen, and fållen

English

Etymology

Morphologically fall +‎ -en.

Pronunciation

Verb

fallen

  1. past participle of fall

Adjective

fallen (not generally comparable, comparative more fallen, superlative most fallen or (uncommon) fallenest)

  1. Having dropped by the force of gravity.
    fallen raindrops
  2. Killed, especially in battle.
    a ceremony to honor fallen soldiers
    the disposal of fallen livestock
    • 1945 April 16, Harry S. Truman, 10:41 from the start, in MP72-20 President Roosevelt’s Funeral and Procession; Truman – New President of U.S.‎, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 595162:
      We will face the problems of peace with the same courage that we have faced and mastered the problems of war. In the memory of those that have made the supreme sacrifice, in the memory of our fallen president, we shall not fail.
  3. Having lost one's chastity.
    a fallen woman
    • 1964, Katharine Hillyer, Mark Twain, Young Reporter in Virginia City: The Racy, Rollicking Adventures of a Great Author in the Gamiest, Richest, Mightiest Town in All the Frontier West!:
      Madam Julia was the town's ranking prostitute; virtuous female society demanded that they not suffer the unbearable pain of looking at, and being in company with, a fallen woman— one of the happiest, fallenest women in history, by the way.
    • 1991, Kelly Walsh, Nightshades and Orchids, →ISBN:
      "You make yourself out to be the fallenest of fallen women." Tilting her head toward Sharon, Debbie grinned. "Let's face it. There can't be winners without losers, and I'm a loser. But look at it this way. I make it possible for some other woman […]
  4. Having collapsed.
    a fallen building
  5. Having lost prestige, (Christian) grace, etc.
    • 1913, John Bigelow, Retrospections of an Active Life: 1867-1871, page 397:
      That fallenest of our fallen race has left town — said to be near Fontainebleau by some, in Italy by others. More consequent with himself than usual, he is fulfilling, in the only possible way left open to him, his promise […]

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • (having lost prestige, (Christian) grace, etc.): arisen

Derived terms

Terms derived from the adjective fallen

Translations

Noun

fallen (plural fallen)

  1. (plural only) The dead.
  2. (plural only) Casualties of battle or war.
  3. (countable, Christianity) One who has fallen, as from grace.
    • 1873, James Strong with John McClintock, Cyclopaedia of Biblical, theological, and ecclesiastical literature, volume 5:
      In the Augustinian period, however, sin was held to be a death-inflicting agent, implying that the fallen was dead, and had to be restored to life.

Translations

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Catalan

Verb

fallen

  1. third-person plural present indicative of fallar

German

Etymology

From Middle High German vallen, from Old High German fallan, from Proto-West Germanic *fallan, from Proto-Germanic *fallaną, from Proto-Indo-European *pōl-. Akin to Bavarian foin, Low German fallen, Dutch vallen, English fall, Danish falde, Dutch falla.

Pronunciation

Verb

fallen (class 7 strong, third-person singular present fällt, past tense fiel, past participle gefallen, auxiliary sein)

  1. (intransitive) to fall; to drop
    • 1960, Marie Luise Kaschnitz, Gespenster:
      Das Programm fiel ihr aus der Hand.
      The programme fell from her hand.
    Der Regen fiel wie aus Eimern.
    It rained cats and dogs. (literally: 'The rain fell as if out of buckets.')
    Sie fiel zu Boden.
    She fell to the floor.
  2. (intransitive, military) to die; to fall in battle; to die in battle; to be killed in action
    • 1918, Elisabeth von Heyking, Die Orgelpfeifen, in: Zwei Erzählungen, Phillipp Reclam jun. Verlag, page 31:
      Bei einem Patrouillenritt, zu dem er sich freiwillig gemeldet, war der älteste der Enkel gefallen. Ruhte nun fern in Feindesland.
      On a patrolling ride, for which he had volunteered, the oldest of the grandchildren had died. Rested now far away in enemy country.
  3. (intransitive) to fall, to collapse, to be overthrown.
    Das Römische Reich fiel auf Grund der Völkerwanderung.
    The Roman Empire was overthrown by the consequences of the Migration period.
  4. (intransitive) to become lower, to decrease, to decline
    Zur Zeit der Finanzkrise fielen viele Aktienkurse um zahlreiche Prozentpunkte.
    During the banking scandal many stock prices decreased by a large percentage.

Conjugation

Conjugation of fallen (class 7 strong, auxiliary sein)
More information infinitive, present participle ...

1This form and alternative in würde both found.

Composed forms of fallen (class 7 strong, auxiliary sein)
More information perfect, singular ...

Synonyms

Derived terms

Verbs
Nouns


Adjectives


Phrases

Further reading

  • “fallen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “fallen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • “fallen” in Duden online
  • “fallen” in OpenThesaurus.de
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Low German

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle Low German vallen, from Old Saxon fallan, from Proto-West Germanic *fallan, from Proto-Germanic *fallaną.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfalːn̩/, /ˈfalːən/

Verb

fallen (past singular full, past participle fullen, auxiliary verb wesen)

  1. (ergative) to fall, tumble
    de Avend fallt ― the evening falls
    in Slaap fallen ― to fall asleep
  2. to happen
    dat is op düssen Dag fullen ― that happened on that day

Conjugation

More information infinitive, present ...

Note: This conjugation is one of many.
Neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English feallan, from Proto-West Germanic *fallan, from Proto-Germanic *fallaną. Weak forms are due to the conflation of this verb with fellen (“to fell”) in some dialects.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Verb

fallen (third-person singular simple present falleth, present participle fallynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative fel, past participle fallen)

  1. to fall
Conjugation
More information infinitive, present tense ...

1 Later replaced by the 1st-/3rd-person singular or felest.
2 Later replaced by the indicative.
3 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants
  • English: fall
  • Yola: vall, vale, vole
References

Etymology 2

Verb

fallen

  1. (Early Middle English, Worcestershire) alternative form of fellen
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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From the verb falle.

Adjective

fallen (neuter singular fallent, definite singular and plural falne)

  1. fallen

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From the verb falle.

Adjective

fallen (neuter singular falle, definite singular and plural falne)

  1. fallen

Derived terms

References

Spanish

Verb

fallen

  1. inflection of fallar:
    1. third-person plural present subjunctive
    2. third-person plural imperative
  2. third-person plural present indicative of fallir

Swedish

Participle

fallen

  1. past participle of falla

Adjective

fallen

  1. fallen
    en fallen ängel ― a fallen angel
    fallna äpplen ― fallen apples

Declension

More information Indefinite, positive ...

1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
2 Dated or archaic.
3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Noun

fallen

  1. definite plural of fall

Anagrams

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