Category:Fallow

Fal"low, a. Etym: [AS. fealu, fealo, pale yellow or red; akin to D. vaal fallow, faded, OHG. falo, G. falb, fahl, Icel. fölr, and prob. to Lith. palvas, OSlav. plavpallidus pale, pallere to be pale, Gr. palita. Cf. Pale, Favel, a., Favor.]

1. Pale red or pale yellow; as, a fallow deer or greyhound. Shak.

2. Etym: [Cf. Fallow, n.]

Defn: Left untilled or unsowed after plowing; uncultivated; as, fallow ground. Fallow chat, Fallow finch (Zoöl.), a small European bird, the wheatear (Saxicola ænanthe). See Wheatear.

fallow Fal"low, n. Etym: [So called from the fallow, or somewhat yellow, color of naked ground; or perh. akin to E. felly, n., cf. MHG. valgen to plow up, OHG. felga felly, harrow.]

1. Plowed land. [Obs.] Who. . . pricketh his blind horse over the fallows. Chaucer.

2. Land that has lain a year or more untilled or unseeded; land plowed without being sowed for the season. The plowing of fallows is a benefit to land. Mortimer.

3. The plowing or tilling of land, without sowing it for a season; as, summer fallow, properly conducted, has ever been found a sure method of destroying weeds. Be 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. Sinclair. Fallow crop, the crop taken from a green fallow. [Eng.] -- Green fallow, fallow whereby land is rendered mellow and clean from weeds, by cultivating some green crop, as turnips, potatoes, etc. [Eng.]

fallow Fal"low, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fallowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Fallowing.] Etym: [From Fallow, n.]

Defn: To plow, harrow, and break up, as land, without seeding, for the purpose of destroying weeds and insects, and rendering it mellow; as, it is profitable to fallow cold, strong, clayey land.