Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Fallow?

\Fal"low\, a. [AS. fealu, fealo, pale yellow or red; akin to D. vaal fallow, faded, OHG. falo, G. falb, fahl, Icel. f["o]lr, and prob. to Lith. palvas, OSlav. plav[u^] white, L. pallidus pale, pallere to be pale, Gr. polio`s gray, Skr. palita. Cf. {Pale}, {Favel}, a., {Favor}.] 1. Pale red or pale yellow; as, a fallow deer or greyhound. --Shak. 2. [Cf. {Fallow}, n.] Left untilled or unsowed after plowing; uncultivated; as, fallow ground. {Fallow chat}, {Fallow finch} (Zo["o]l.), a small European bird, the wheatear ({Saxicola [oe]nanthe}). See {Wheatear}.
\Fal"low\, n. [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.]
\Fal"low\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Fallowed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fallowing}.] [From {Fallow}, n.] 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.