fallow
- 01 C1 Advanced
adj.describes land that is ploughed but left empty for a season so the soil can become healthy again.
adj.referring to arable land that is ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded for a duration to allow for natural nutrient replenishment.
Simple“The farmer decided to leave the north field fallow this year to improve the soil.”
In context“Traditional crop rotation often requires a field to lie fallow for a full cycle to prevent the total exhaustion of nitrogen in the soil.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
adj.describes a period of time when you are not active, creative, or successful.
adj.used figuratively to describe a period of dormancy, inactivity, or lack of creative output.
Simple“After his first successful book, the writer had a fallow period for three years.”
In context“The director's fallow decade was marked by several abandoned projects and a general retreat from the public eye.”
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
n.land that has been prepared for planting but is left empty for a while.
n.land that has been tilled or ploughed but left unseeded for a season; can refer to the state of the land or the land itself.
Simple“The cattle were allowed to graze on the fallow during the summer months.”
In context“The management of fallow is crucial for moisture conservation in semi-arid agricultural regions.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to plough land and leave it without seeds so it can rest.
v.to plough or till land without sowing it, typically as part of a crop rotation strategy.
Simple“It is common practice in this region to fallow the fields every third year.”
In context“By choosing to fallow the acreage rather than planting a cover crop, the farmer hoped to eradicate the persistent weed infestation.”
UsageThe verb is transitive and requires a direct object, usually 'land' or 'field'.
“After a fallow season, it will return bigger and better than before, but there is an unavoidable period of rebuilding.”
“Additionally, the researchers found that plants growing in pea-conditioned soil emitted almost twice as much indole as plants growing in fallow soil.”
[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)).
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”).
[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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.