fallenadj.n.
/ˈfɔːl(ə)n/, U.S. /ˈfɔlən/, /ˈfɑlən/ A. adj.
1.
a. That has come down or dropped from a high position.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > falling > [adjective] > fallen
yfallOE
fallenOE
delapsed1622
shedded1818
OE Paris Psalter (1932) cxlviii. 8 Fyr, forst, hægel and gefeallen snaw, is and yste.
1524 tr. J. de Bourbon Begynnynge & Foundacyon Holy Hospytall sig. C.iiv The enmyes had way to..come to hande with vs by trauersynge of theyr trenches to the fallen erth within the bracke more surely, & without hurte of our gonshot.
1572 H. Tripp tr. A. Hyperius Regiment Pouertie vii. f. 45v He shuld not reape downe euery corner of his field, nor gather the scattred eares of corne, nor the fallen clusters of grapes.
1608 G. Chapman Trag. Duke of Byron v. i, in Conspiracie Duke of Byron sig. R3v The falne leaues of Autumne.
1651 J. Ogilby Fables of Æsop Paraphras'd i. 4 Quarrell'd for faln scraps.
1724 E. F. Haywood Lasselia 36 She..lay all Night on the Earth, no other Bed than a few fallen Leaves.
1776 W. Withering Brit. Plants IV. 154 Two distinct species grow..on the fallen branches of trees.
1849 Sketches Nat. Hist.: Mammalia IV. 27 Fallen acorns constitute the food of the dormouse.
1904 Ann. Rep. Archæol. Surv. Bengal Circle 9 It stands on an ancient mound covered with fallen bricks.
1996 M. Syal Anita & Me (1997) ii. 35 The fallen apples in the vast walled orchard.
2012 E. Laybourne Monument 14 (2013) vii. 88 I stormed off into the pet aisle, kicking some fallen doggie treat boxes out of my way.
b. Chiefly literary. Of the sun: that has set.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > sun > solar movement > [adjective] > having set
fallen1635
sunk1737
sunken1798
1635 J. Rutter Elegie in Shepheards Holy-day sig. H3 For the falne Sun..Chang'd to the light uncertaine of the Moone.
1685 Unfortunate Phaeton 10 Scarce had the Fallen Sun declyn'd the West.
1798 J. Fawcett Poems 158 When the fall'n sun but faintly streaks the sky.
1892 Ld. Tennyson Foresters i. iii The long bright day is done, And darkness rises from the fallen sun.
1910 W. B. Yeats Green Helmet & Other Poems (1912) 32 These are the clouds about the fallen sun, The majesty that shuts his burning eye.
1989 Kenyon Rev. 11 121 On the day before the Resurrection, With the fertile crescent hanging above the fallen sun, The voices of the smallest and largest meet.
2.
a. That has been cast or knocked down, or brought to the ground; toppled; (also, of a building or structure) no longer standing, demolished, ruined.In quot. ?1545 in figurative context, as part of an interpretation of Revelation 11:13 (‘the tenth part of the city fell’; King James Bible).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > [adjective] > brought to the ground or laid low
fallen?1545
laid-low1795
floored1821
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > [adjective] > demolishing > demolished or ruined
razed?1518
flat1560
prostrate1560
overthrown1579
uplaid1582
demolished1609
fight-rac't?1611
collapsed1620
slighted1656
flatted1681
wrecked1818
fallen1821
torn-down1933
?1545 J. Bale 2nd Pt. Image Both Churches ii. sig. C.v For the tenth part of theyr cyte felle to the grownde...They that were monkes, prestes, and fryres are now become gospell teachers. Soche as afore were dead, standeth vpp now agaynst them boldelye. This fallen part is here the tenth, for it is the lordes by the lawe.
1577 E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara Chron. xvii. 61 Many dayes after these thinges [sc. an earthquake] did passe, certeine persons walking to behold the falne houses, heard the voice of a woman.
1627 G. Barry tr. H. Hugo Seige of Breda xi. 86 The enimie..stood vnder the fallen walle of the towne.
1652 J. Mayne tr. J. Donne Epigr. in J. Donne Paradoxes sig. E11 Falne Okes the Axe doth into Timber hew.
1743 Sel. Trans. Soc. Improvers Knowl. Agric. Scotl. viii. 65 Moss is occasioned by a Stagnation of Water among fallen Timber.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth I. 283 The branches of the fallen forest.
1821 F. Hemans in Scots Mag. Dec. 582 'Midst fallen palaces she sits alone, Calling heroic shades from ages gone.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) IV. xvii. 62 The fallen gonfanon of Harold.
1905 Amer. Anthropologist 7 185 The room was filled with debris consisting of sandstone slabs from the fallen walls, decaying ceiling beams, and the adobe floors of upper rooms.
1989 S. Chinodya Harvest of Thorns (1990) iv. 19 Benjamin picked up the fallen crutch and stood it against the wall.
2015 Guardian 3 Sept. 40/1 Purple jellydiscs..cluster on the rotting end of a fallen trunk.
b. Of an animal, esp. a domesticated one: that has died naturally, as opposed to being slaughtered.Now chiefly Agriculture, with reference to trade in animal carcasses.
ΚΠ
1609 R. Parsons Quiet Reckoning sig. ***4v You ranne as the Rauen to the fallen sheep to picke out her eyes.
1865 Express 2 Sept. 1/6 The flaying ground, to which much diseased or fallen cattle is brought, lies far too close to the town.
1875 Hull Packet & E. Riding Times 10 Dec. 7/6 Witnesses were called to prove that the sheep was laid dead on the road, and that the defendant, who is a dealer in fallen stock, was repeatedly told about it before he fetched it.
1908 Scotsman 15 Oct. 9/4 Such practices as exist nearer at home in the watering of milk, and the vending of fallen sheep and cattle.
1990 Independent 18 Apr. 8/2 It is likely that the petfood trade from fallen stock will continue.
2014 Irish Independent (Nexis) 8 Apr. (Farming section) 2 The current regulations..prohibit knackeries transporting fallen animals aged more than 48 months further than 125km for rendering.
c. Of a person: dead (applied especially to persons killed in battle or while on active service; cf. B. 2). Formerly also: †(of a combatant, army, etc.) defeated, vanquished (obsolete). Cf. fall v. 34, 31.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > [adjective] > killed in battle
fallen1825
the world > life > death > killing > [adjective] > killed
slaina1225
mortificatea1425
killedc1440
murderedc1450
amortizeda1626
unlived1626
fallen1871
outed1919
zapped1962
1637 A. Gardyne Memorable Historick Descr. Sacred Bks. sig. F.4 That did sho Such greef and sorrow for his fallen foe.
1654 Cabala ii. 112 Which onely motive..might justly induce him not to suffer a fallen enemy to rise and resume..strength again.
1718 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad IV. xiii. 688 His Shield revers'd o'er the fall'n Warror [sic] lies; And everlasting Slumber seals his Eyes.
1762 J. Macpherson Comala in Fingal 89 Let the meteor..come, with its red light, to shew me the way to my fallen hero.
1825 G. R. Gleig Subaltern vii. 109 Desiring..a fellow..to keep guard near one of his fallen comrades. ‘I don't care for living men,’ said the soldier; ‘but..don't keep me beside him.’
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) IV. xvii. 34 The estates of the fallen King [Harold]..were..forfeited.
1914 New Republic 5 Dec. 14/2 Mr. Shaw referred to the miserable pensions that are being paid to the widows of fallen soldiers.
1968 Economist 2 Nov. 59/3 Castro rushed out a first edition of a quarter million copies to defend Guevarism and honour his fallen comrade's name.
2002 Time 4 Mar. 69/1 In recognition of the tragedy U2 began projecting the names of the fallen members of the New York City police and fire departments..while they played One.
3. That has lost, or been brought down from, a position of high status, rank, wealth, etc. Also, of a person's state or standing: diminished, impoverished. See also fallen angel n.In quot. 1645 in extended use, referring to a style of utterance that lacks majesty or grandeur.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [adjective] > falling from prosperous or thriving condition > having fallen
forlornc1386
fallen1550
ruinous1558
ruinate1562
declined1591
ruinated1592
ruined1596
lapsed1667
prolapsed1698
broken-down1816
decadent1837
1550 R. Hutchinson Image of God Ep. Ded. sig. A.vi He chose your grace for a blessed instrumente to sweepe cleane hys house and churche, to redresse all abuses, and to restore agayne hys fallen and decayed glorye.
1632 J. Weemes Explan. Ceremoniall Lawes of Moses 183 To see those that have bin deboshed and dissolute men, to be thrust into this holy calling, a casheerd souldier, a bankrupt Merchant, or a fallen Courtier.
1645 J. Milton Tetrachordon 24 God..would..not [have] sent word by Malachi in a sudden faln stile.
1723 H. Rowlands Mona Antiqua Restaurata 315 This Celtick, upon the Erection of new Kingdoms and Governments in all the Provinces of that fall'n Empire, took likewise on it new Names.
1796 M. Robinson Hubert de Sevrac I. ii. 65 He shall..bear about him all the misery that attends his fallen nobility.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 482 The fallen dynasty and the fallen hierarchy were restored.
1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues II. 62 Philosophy, even in her fallen estate, has a dignity of her own.
1916 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 22 374 Millions upon millions [have been paid] for this junk of the past, multimillions for art collections, for the trappings of fallen nobility.
1996 J. K. Van Dover & J. F. Jebb Isn't Justice Always Unfair? v. 202 The novels' zest comes from their police detective duo: a fallen aristocrat and a risen redneck.
2003 Relig. & Lit. 35 251 The restoration of the ancient, fallen nation was a powerful metaphor of nationalism.
4. That has transgressed or slipped in regard to morals, standards of good behaviour, etc.; that has lost honour or moral standing; that has yielded to temptation or sin. Cf. fall v. 14b, 33a.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > loss of chastity > [adjective] > that has lost her chastity
forlainc1290
fallen1712
?1550 J. Bale Apol. agaynste Papyst f. cxlvii Theodorus..was a monke, and in the tyme of hys monkery, frequented the company of an whore. Unto thys fallen monke, he [sc. Chrisostome] wrote an other treatyse.
1619 S. Chambers Garden of our Lady 101 The traiterous kisse of his fallen disciple.
1654 E. Burrough Warning to Inhabitants Underbarrow 38 And here is the ground of all the Saints Imprisonment,..the envie of the Devil working in Fallen man.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 181 That he may know how frail His fall'n condition is. View more context for this quotation
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 276. ⁋1 Your Papers with regard to the fallen Part of the Fair Sex.
a1770 J. Jortin Serm. (1771) I. ii. 21 The Messias..was [to]..restore fallen man.
1811 T. Skeel Sermon 14 To awaken our minds from a state of sin and misery, and shew us the guilty condition of our fallen souls.
1855 Philanthropist 1 June 3/3 This institution (the object of which is to..effect the rescue of fallen females).
1918 New Castle (Pa.) News 27 Mar. 16/5 To restore fallen man and make it possible for him to fulfil the plan of the divine Artificer.
1999 J. Ehrenberg Civil Society ii. 38 It is now possible for Church and state to unite and contribute to the salvation of fallen humanity.
2015 Church Times 20 Nov. 24/2 The language of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit..assumes a fallen world that needs to be redeemed.
5. Of flesh, the cheeks or face, etc.: shrunken, emaciated. Earliest in brawn-fallen adj. at brawn n. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > bodily substance > flesh > [adjective] > shrunken
fallen1578
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 49v Were not Milo his armes brawnefallen, for want of wrastlinge?
1628 M. Mainwaring Vienna 53 Her Mothers Ghost appeared vnto her, all in white..her ruefull falne face pale, her eyes hollowe.
1661 T. Ross tr. Silius Italicus Second Punick War ii. 46 From their faln Cheeks, their sinking Eyes, within Their Heads retire.
1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 332 Her fallen Flesh plump'd up.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VI. xxx. 98 The old lines appearing strong in the..fallen cheeks.
1835 T. Walker Original No. 6. 80 The brooding affections of the mind..make the countenance fallen, pale, and liny.
1860 A. C. Swinburne Queen-mother v. v. 144 Here I tire for one, and fain would use This winter of bleached hair and fallen flesh To make me quiet room.
1915 Rep. Supreme Court Missouri 261 273 He was decrepit in every sense of the term; fallen face, fallen cheeks, practically didn't seem any mind there at all.
1993 J. E. Woods tr. T. Mann Buddenbrooks (1994) vii. 207 His large nose jutted out sharply between his fallen cheeks.
B. n.
1. With the and plural agreement. Those (people) who have fallen (in various senses, esp. in regard to status or morals). Also (occasionally) with singular agreement: a person who has fallen.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > poverty > [noun] > poor person > poor people or the poor
waedlec888
needfula1200
needya1225
poorc1225
God's poorc1230
porailc1325
porailsa1425
povertya1450
poorality1536
God's poverty1563
miserable1582
necessitous1622
necessitated1638
ptochocracy1831
fallen1878
worse off1890
po'1945
1556 tr. St. Cyprian Certein Wks. sig. G Let the perfecte man be armed... Let the fallen [L. lapsi] be also armed, that the fallen [L. lapsus] may receiue againe that which he had lost.
1575 T. Cartwright Second Replie agaynst Dr. Whitgiftes Second Answer p. clxxx As thowghe Ciprian, and other fathers..were not enemies vnto those that denied repentance vnto the fallen.
1613 S. Crooke Guide True Blessednesse 215 Raise vp the fallen, strengthen the weake, enlighten the ignorant.
1656 R. Dingley Sincere Believer 21 To reprove the negligent..revive the disconsolate, and admonish the falne.
1729 A. Pope Dunciad (new ed.) Let. to Publisher 9 The same..whose prostituted papers..have insulted the Fallen, the Friendless, the Exiled, and the Dead.
1791 W. Enfield Brucker's Hist. Philos. II. v. ii. 262 Let him, who neglects to raise the fallen, fear, lest when he himself falls, no one will stretch out his hand to lift him up.
1840 W. Nicholson Endure Hardness 4 The Sovereign Creator conceives his glorious works with an unerring intelligence, and executes them with a master-hand, in so mighty a work as the restoration of the ruined and the fallen.
1878 J. P. Hopps Life Jesus v. 21 His delight was, to lift up the fallen.
1908 Official Year-bk. Church of Eng. i. ii. 156 Lodging homes for young girls of good character, and for the fallen.
1997 J. W. Smith in J. W. Smith & L. Weiss Hugs for Holidays vi. 97 Power to sustain the weary, heal the sick, mend the brokenhearted, restore lost love, and forgive the fallen.
2. spec. Those who have died in battle or on active service.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > killing > person killed > [noun] > killed in battle
fallen1698
slaughter1757
casualty1844
1698 J. Hopkins Triumphs of Peace 60 Slaughter o'er Head, all terrible appears..She hungers, and she thirsts for more..Glaring in Faces of the fall'n.
1765 H. Blair Crit. Diss. Poems of Ossian (ed. 2) 70 He professedly delights in strife and blood. He insults over the fallen.
1819 F. D. Hemans Abencerrage i, in Tales & Scenes in Verse 58 There bleed the fallen, there contend the brave.
1854 ‘M. S. Cockayne’ Hist. & Adventures 144 Not less than 500,000l. was raised by spontaneous subscription for those wounded in the fight and for the widows and orphans of the fallen.
1917 L. Binyon (title) For the Fallen and other poems.
1950 F. Maclean Escape to Adventure xvi. 398 The sugar-loaf hill of Avala, crowned by Mestrović's monument to the fallen of the first war, loomed above the road.
1962 A. R. Burn Persia & Greeks xii. 253 The fallen of Marathon were cremated and their ashes buried there on the field.
2008 Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent) (Nexis) 29 Nov. 32 An often forgotten campaign after the Great War to repatriate the bodies of the fallen.
Compounds
C1.
a. With adverbs, corresponding to phrasal verbs at fall v. Phrasal verbs 1, as fallen-away, fallen-back, fallen-down, fallen-out.
ΚΠ
1592 in W. Fraser Douglas Bk. (1885) III. 304 Lett it be vnderstand how heichlie we ar grevit with thir lait fallin out trubles.
1675 J. Hogg Some Observ. Serm. Mr. Astley's To Rdr. I advise such as a Friend, to consider their present standing, and see if it be not in a falne away state, from what the Ancients stood in.
1698 in W. McDowall Hist. Dumfries (1867) 526 (modernized text) The most creditable and honest sort of poor, fallen-back burgesses.
1765 ‘A. W.’ Enchantments Jannes & Jambres 45 The promised restoration of the fallen down tabernacle.
1828 D. M. Moir Life Mansie Wauch xix. 167 I could see nothing in the years to come but beggary and starvation; myself a fallen-back old man..hirpling over a staff, requeeshting an awmous.
1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations I. xi. 189 A greenhouse with nothing in it but a fallen-down grape-vine and some bottles.
1919 America 11 Jan. 336/2 In many towns fallen-away Catholics were brought back to the Church.
1983 G. Lord Tooth & Claw xi. 82 Along the fallen-down fence in front of her was the ruined garden.
1987 S. Stewart Lifting Latch xiii. 132 Sergeant Pantin..heroically forcing his fat frame, ass-back'ards, through the fallen-out windscreen led the Great Escape to the strangely peaceful outdoors.
2001 A. Dangor Bitter Fruit (2004) i. 6 The park, even with its ragged lawn and fallen-down fence, provided some relief from the hot criss-cross of streets.
b.
fallen-in adj.
ΚΠ
1672 tr. P. Barbette Chirurg. & Anat. Wks. iii. iv. ii. 324 To divide the Muscles of the Abdomen, and the Peritonæum, and draw out with the fingers the fallen in Gut.
1846 S. C. Davison tr. C. G. Carus King of Saxony's Journey li. 230 The interior, with its old courts, its fallen-in rooms, and its walls thickly covered with ivy.
1900 Westm. Gaz. 14 Feb. 6/3 Inrush of snow and sleet through the fallen-in roof.
1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart i. ii. 47 Thomas sits so fallen-in, waiting for Anna, that his clock makes the only sound in his room.
2006 Irish Times 13 Nov. 3/2 We want a block grant..so that if school leaders face an emergency, like a fallen-in roof, they can fix it without going begging to parents.
fallen-off adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > insurrection > [adjective] > insurgent
rebelc1325
uprisena1400
revolting1566
revolted1578
fallen-offa1616
insurgent1814
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. vii. 6 The Legions now in Gallia, are Full weake to vndertake our Warres against The falne-off Britaines. View more context for this quotation
1769 E. Bancroft Ess. Nat. Hist. Guiana 42 It is covered with bark of a light brown colour, variegated by the vestigia of the fallen off stamina of the leaves.
1806 T. S. Surr Winter in London I. viii. 188 He is..a fallen-off branch from the good old English tree.
1919 E. F. Garesche Your Neighbor & You 143 The fallen-off Catholic, who..has let his fervor and service dwindle slowly away into tepidity and carelessness.
1998 H. Philipse Heidegger's Philos. of Being 382 According to Heidegger, the Christian metaphysical tradition is a fallen-off tradition that conceals an original source of significance and transcendence instead of keeping it open.
C2.
fallen arch n. an arch of the foot (see arch n.1 4b) that is considered to be flatter than normal; the condition of having such an arch or arches (also in plural); cf. flat-foot n. 1a.
ΚΠ
1889 Lancet 6 Apr. 677/1 The mere fact that there is an architectural failure in the fallen arch, and so some deformity, is not..sufficient [to justify an operation].
1921 Boot & Shoe Recorder 26 Nov. 80/2 (advt.) The appearance of fallen arch is not the flattening of the arch of the foot but the incorrect relation of the ankle bones to the bones of the foot.
1980 M. F. Weisenfeld & B. Burr Runners' Repair Man. 80 This condition, which used to be called fallen arches, is now known as weak foot.
2005 Independent on Sunday 24 July (Review Suppl.) 29/3 I have recently been told I have fallen arches and been instructed to wear orthotics in my shoes.
fallen fleece n. a fleece taken from the carcass of a dead sheep (and therefore likely to be diseased).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > fleece > [noun] > types of
shearling1481
wool1495
hog wool1653
hog1824
fallen fleece1867
shirling1869
yearlings1888
1867 Geelong Advertiser 4 May We held a small sale [of wool] to-day... We sold greasy (all faults) at 5d to 81/ 8d; sound, 8d to 10d; fallen fleece, 12¼d.
1880 Monthly Homœopathic Rev. 24 122 Mohair, camels' hair, and dry Eastern wools, among which there may be some fallen fleeces.
1919 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 26 Apr. 1240/1 Attempting to remove dust by downward exhaust ventilation, separating out fallen fleeces and blood-stained material, [etc.].
2012 T. Carter & J. Melling in C. Sellers & J. Melling Dangerous Trade iv. 63 Wool was commonly sheared from live animals, but ‘fallen fleeces’ were sometimes taken from carcasses.
fallen instep n. now rare = fallen arch n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of visible parts > [noun] > disorders of extremities > of the foot
foot evil1562
buniona1718
onion1785
Madura foot1855
fallen arch1858
claw-foot1862
foot-drop1886
tarsalgia1890
Morton's metatarsalgia1891
fallen instep1904
Madura disease1904
trench foot1915
maduromycosis1916
drop-foot1921
immersion foot1941
1904 Shoe Retailer 20 Jan. 33/1 (advt.) It [sc. the Keeler Instep Support] is a new device, already phenomenally popular as a cure for fallen instep or flat foot.
1931 Public Health 44 176/2 The reason why orientals never suffer from chilblains, fallen instep and flat foot.
1954 L. MacNeice Autumn Sequel ix. 59 A life of fallen insteps and surplus fat.
fallen woman n. a woman who has lost her chastity, honour, or standing, or who has become morally degenerate; (sometimes) a prostitute.In quot. 1659 referring specifically to Eve.
ΚΠ
1659 R. Gell Ess. Amendm. Transl. Bible i. 14 What else can be the seed of the fallen woman but disobedience unto God, and consequently obedience unto the Serpent?
1681 J. Denne Lawfulnes of Mixt-marriages Weighed sig. Bv They defiled themselves by accompaning [sic] with fallen Women.
1751 S. Richardson Clarissa (ed. 3) III. xxxv. 173 A fallen woman is a worse devil than even a profligate man.
1821 Ld. Byron Marino Faliero (2nd issue) ii. i. 53 The once fall'n woman must for ever fall.
1861 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 2 Feb. 128/2 I do believe that the wholesale consignment of babies to wet-nurses, and these almost invariably fallen women, is highly improper.
1909 Daily Chron. 28 Oct. 5/3 The great impediment to success in the work of saving fallen women was the machinery of institutionalism.
1971 S. Howatch Penmarric (1972) iii. i. 262 Nanny..said..she wouldn't go and live in any household where the mistress was a fallen woman—whatever that means.
2002 Washington Post 3 June (Home ed.) a3/2 Turning tricks has been part of the culture [of the city] since Louis XIV shipped over fallen women to entertain the French colonists.
2014 W. S. Poole Vampira i. 29 The ‘fallen woman’ became a recognizable trope in American literature and moral advice.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.OE