Forms: 1 falu, fealo, -u, 3 falau, (3–4 inflected falewe), 4 fale, -u. -we, 4–6 falow(e, fallo, 6– fallow. See also FAUCH a. [OE. falu, fealo, fealu, pl. fealwe = OS. falu, (MDu. vale, mod. vaal), OHG. falo (mod. Ger. fahl, falb), ON. fǫlr, pl. fǫlvar:—OTeut. *falwo-, prob. cognate with Gr. πολιός grey, L. pallēre to be pale.]
1. Of a pale brownish or reddish yellow color, as withered grass or leaves. Obs. exc. of the coat of an animal; now chiefly in FALLOW-DEER.
Beowulf, 865 (Gr.). Fealwe mearas.
a. 1000. Riddles, xvi. 1 (Gr.). Hals is min hwit and heafod fealo.
c. 1205. Lay., 18449. Pendragun and his cnihtes … sluȝen ȝeond þan fades falewe lockes. Ibid., 27468. Blod ut ȝeoten, ueldes falewe wurðen.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 1263 (Cott.). Þe falau slogh sal be þi gate.
c. 1325. Coer de L., 461.
| On in a tyr blak | |
| Com prickande ovyr the falewe feld. |
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 506. His hewe falow [Corpus falwe], and pale as Asshen colde.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., VII. 667. Many a dere both rede and falowe to be slayne before them.
1547. Boorde, Brev. Health, lxxiii. 25. An urine that is falowe lyke the heare of a falowe beast.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., I. i. 91. Slen. How do’s your fallow Greyhound, Sir.
1667. Lond. Gaz., No. 185/4. A Fallow Dog … lost about a Fortnight since.
1727. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Hart, The Coats and Colours of this noble Beast … are usually of three several sorts, viz. Brown, Red, and Fallow.
1759. trans. Adanson’s Voy. Senegal, 24. His belly was of a pale blue, and his back fallow.
1865. The Athenæum, No. 1954. 484/1. ‘Christ’s mark’ is also to be made on the forehead with a knife the haft of which is of the horn of a fallow-ox, and on the haft is to be previously written, ‘Blessed are the works of the Lord.’
2. absol. (quasi-sb.), as the name of a color.
1737. Compl. Fam.-Piece, II. i. 289. Those that are of a lively red Fallow have a black List down the Ridge of their Backs, their Legs of the same Colour, are strong, and have fair and high Heads, which are well furnished and beamed.
3. Comb., as fallow-coloured.
1688. Lond. Gaz., No. 2347/4. Lost or stolen … a fallow coloured Bitch.
1825. Hone, Every-day Bk., I. 983. The fallow-coloured dog was taken away.
