Online Etymology Dictionary

fall (v.): O.E. feallan (class VII strong verb; past tense feoll, pp. feallen), from P.Gmc. *fallanan (cf. O.N. falla, O.H.G. fallan), from PIE base *phol- "to fall" (cf. Armenian p'ul "downfall," Lith. puola "to fall," O.Prus. aupallai "finds," lit. "falls upon"). Noun sense of "autumn" (now only in U.S.) is 1660s, short for fall of the leaf (1540s). That of "cascade, waterfall" is from 1570s. Most of the figurative senses had developed in M.E. Meaning "to be reduced" (as temperature) is from 1650s. To fall in love is attested from 1520s; to fall asleep is late 14c. Fall guy is from 1906.
fall out: 1570s in the literal sense; military use is from 1832. Meaning “quarrel” is attested from 1560s (to fall out with “quarrel with” is from 1520s).
fallout: "radioactive particles," 1950, from fall (v.) + out.
fallen: c.1400, pp. adj. from fall (v.). Used figuratively for "morally ruined" by 1620s. Meaning "those who have died" attested by 1765. Fallen angel is from 1680s; fallen woman by 1820.
falling: prp. adj. from fall (v.). Falling star is from 1560s; falling out "disagreement" is from 1560s.
case (1): "state of affairs," early 13c., from O.Fr. cas "an event," from L. casus "a chance," lit. "a falling," from cas-, pp. stem of cadere "to fall, sink, settle down, decline, perish" (used widely: of the setting of heavenly bodies, the fall of Troy, suicides), from PIE base *kad- "to lay out, fall or make fall, yield, break up" (cf. Skt. sad- "to fall down," Armenian chacnum "to fall, become low," perhaps also M.Ir. casar "hail, lightning"). The notion being "that which falls" as "that which happens." Widespread extended senses in law, medicine, grammar, etc. In case "in the event" is recorded from mid-14c. Case history is from 1912, originally medical; case study is from 1933, originally legal.
deciduous: 1680s, from L. deciduus "that which falls off," from decidere "to fall off," from de- "down" + cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). Originally with reference to leaves, petals, teeth, etc.; specific sense of "trees whose leaves fall off" (opposed to evergreen) is from 1778.
infralapsarian: 1731, from infra- + L. lapsus "a fall." In ref. to the Calvinist doctrine that god's election of some to everlasting life was consequent to his decree to allow the Fall of man, and was thus a remedial measure. Contrasted to supralapsarian, in ref. to the belief that He always meant to consign most of mankind to eternal fire and that the decision to create some men to be damned was his first decree. There's also a moderate sublapsarian view. Here the decree to elect those who would believe and leave those who do not believe to damnation also comes after the decree to allow the fall, but the decree to provide salvation for man comes immediately after the decree to elect.
accident: late 14c., "an occurrence, incident, event," from O.Fr. accident (12c.), from L. accidentum (nom. accidens, gen. accidentis), prp. of accidere "happen, fall out, fall upon," from ad- "to" + cadere "fall" (see case (1)). Meaning grew from "something that happens, an event," to "something that happens by chance," then "mishap."
recidivist: 1880, "relapsed criminal," from Fr. récidiviste, from récidiver "to fall back, relapse," from M.L. recidivare "to relapse into sin," from L. recidivus "falling back," from recidere "fall back," from re- "back, again" + comb. form of caedere "to fall" (see concise). Recidivation in the spiritual sense is attested from c.1420, was very common 17c.
prelapsarian: "pertaining to the condition before the Fall," 1879, from pre- + L. lapsus "fall."
freefall: also free fall, free-fall, 1919, originally of parachutists, from free + fall (v.).
slump (v.): 1677, "fall or sink into a muddy place," probably from a Scand. source, cf. Norw. and Dan. slumpe "fall upon," Swed. slumpa; perhaps ultimately of imitative origin. The noun meaning "heavy decline in prices on the stock exchange" is from 1888; generalized to "sharp decline in trade or business" 1922.
decay: c.1460, from O.Fr. decair, from V.L. *decadere "to fall off," from L. cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). Meaning "gradual decrease in radioactivity" is from 1897.
dump (v.): c.1300, "throw down or fall with force," from a Scandinavian source (cf. Dan. dumpe, Norw. dumpa "to fall suddenly"). The sense of "unload en masse" is first recorded in Amer.Eng. 1784. Related: Dumped; dumping. The noun "place where refuse is dumped" is attested from 1865, originally of mining operations. Meaning "act of defecating" is from 1942.
chute: 1725, Amer.Eng., "fall of water," from Fr. chute, from O.Fr. cheoite pp. of cheoir "to fall," from L. cadere (see case (1)). Meaning "narrow passage for cattle, etc." first recorded 1881.
cascade: 1641, from Fr., from It. cascata "waterfall," from cascare "to fall," from V.L. *casicare, from L. casum, pp. of cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). The verb is attested from 1702.
parachute: 1785, from Fr. parachute, lit. "that which protects against a fall," hybrid coined by Fr. aeronaut François Blanchard (1753-1809) from para- "defense against" (from L. parare "prepare") + chute "a fall" (see chute). The verb is attested from 1807.
cadaver: c.1500, from L. cadaver "dead body (of men or animals)," probably from a perf. part. of cadere "to fall, sink, settle down, decline, perish" (see case (1)). Cf. Gk. ptoma "dead body," lit. "a fall;" poetic English the fallen "those who died in battle."
cheat: late 14c., aphetic of O.Fr. escheat, legal term for revision of property to state when owner dies without heirs, lit. "that which falls to one," pp. of escheoir "befall by chance, happen, devolve," from V.L. *excadere "to fall away," from L. ex- "out" + cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). Meaning evolved through "confiscate" (mid-15c.) to "deprive unfairly" (1590). To cheat on (someone) "be sexually unfaithful" first recorded 1934.
occasion (n.): late 14c., from O.Fr. occasion, from L. occasionem (nom. occasio) "opportunity, appropriate time," from occasum, pp. of occidere "fall down, go down," from ob "down, away" + cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). The notion is of a "falling together," or juncture, of circumstances. The verb is first attested 1520s.
fell (v.): O.E. fællan, (Mercian) fyllan (W.Saxon) "make fall," also "demolish, kill," from P.Gmc. *fallijanan (cf. O.N. fella, Du. fellen, O.H.G. fellan), causative of *fallan (O.E. feallan, see fall (v.)), showing i-mutation. Related: Felled; feller; felling.
collapse: 1732, from L. collapsus, pp. of collabi "fall together," from com- "together" + labi "to fall, slip." The pp. collapsed is attested from 1609, from L. collapsus, and this seems to have suggested the verb.
coincide: c.1641, from Fr. coincider (14c.), from M.L. coincidere (in astrological use), from L. co- "together" + incidere "to fall upon" (in- "upon + cadere "to fall;" see case (1)).
lava: 1750, from It. (Neapolitan or Calabrian dialect) lava "torrent, stream," traditionally from L. lavare "to wash" (see lave). Originally applied in It. to flash flood rivulets after downpours, then to streams of molten rock from Vesuvius. Alternative etymology is from L. labes "a fall," from labi "to fall." Lava lamp is attested from 1970, earlier lava light (reg. U.S., 1968, as Lava Lite).
befall: O.E. befeallan "to deprive of; fall to, be assigned to; befall," from be- "by, about" + feallan (see fall).
precipice: 1598, "fall to great depth," from Fr. précipice, from L. præcipitium "a steep place," lit. "a fall or leap," from præceps (gen. præcipitis) "steep, headlong, headfirst," from præ- "forth" + caput "head" (see head). Meaning "steep face of rock" is recorded from 1632.
drop (n.): O.E. dropa, from P.Gmc. drupon, from PIE *dhreub-. Meaning "lozenge, hard candy" is 1723. The verb (O.E.) originally meant "fall in drops;" transitive sense "allow to fall" is mid-14c. Related: Dropped; dropping. Drop in the bucket (late 14c.) is from Isa. ix.15 [K.J.V.]. Exclamation drop dead is from 1934; as an adj. meaning "stunning, excellent" it is first recorded 1970. At the drop of a hat "suddenly" is from 1854; drop-in "casual visit" is 1819; drop-kick is 1857.
squelch (v.): 1624, "to fall, drop, or stomp on something (soft) with crushing force," possibly imitative of sound made. The fig. sense of "suppress completely" is first recorded 1864.
dark ages: 1739, any benighted time in history, period of ignorance; specific focus on the centuries from the fall of Rome to the revival of secular literature is from 1830s.
shower (n.): O.E. scur "short fall of rain, fall of missiles or blows," from W.Gmc. *skuraz (cf. O.N. skur, O.S., O.H.G. scur, Ger. Schauer, Goth. skura, in skura windis "windstorm"), from base *skuro, from PIE base *kew-(e)ro- "north, north wind" (cf. L. caurus "northwest wind;" O.C.S. severu "north, north wind;" Lith. siaurus "raging, stormy," siaurys "north wind," siaure "north"). Sense of "shower bath" first recorded 1851. The verb is from 1573. Meaning "large number of gifts bestowed on a bride" (1904, Amer.Eng. colloquial) later was extended to the party at which it happens (1926).
tombola: 1880, "Italian lotto-style lottery," from It. tombolare "to tumble, fall upside down."
tip (v.1): "to slope, overturn," c.1300, possibly from Scand., or a special use of tip (n.). Intransitive sense of "fall over" is recorded from 1530.
tide: O.E. tid "point or portion of time, due time," from P.Gmc. *tidiz "division of time" (cf. O.S. tid, Du. tijd, O.H.G. zit, Ger. Zeit "time"), from PIE *di-ti- "division, division of time," suffixed form of base *da- "to divide, cut up" (cf. Skt. dati "cuts, divides;" Gk. demos "people, land," perhaps lit. "division of society;" daiesthai "to divide;" O.Ir. dam "troop, company"). Meaning "rise and fall of the sea" (1340) is probably via notion of "fixed time," specifically "time of high water;" either a native evolution or from M.L.G. getide (cf. also Du. tij, Ger. Gezeiten "flood tide"). O.E. had no specific word for this, using flod and ebba to refer to the rise and fall. The verb meaning "to carry (as the tide does)" is recorded from 1626, usually with over.
ker-: 1836, U.S. slang prefix, possibly from infl. of Ger. or Du. ge-, pp. prefix; or ultimately echoic of the sound of the fall of some heavy body.
start (v.): O.E. *steortian, *stiertan, Kentish variants of styrtan "to leap up" (related to starian "to stare"), from P.Gmc. *sturtjan- (cf. O.Fris. stirta "to fall, tumble," M.Du. sterten, Du. storten "to rush, fall," O.H.G. sturzen, Ger. stürzen "to hurl, throw, plunge"), of unknown origin. From "move or spring suddenly," sense evolved by late 14c. to "awaken suddenly, flinch or recoil in alarm," and 1660s to "cause to begin acting or operating." Meaning "begin to move, leave, depart" is from 1821. The connection is probably from sporting senses ("to force an animal from its lair," late 14c.). To start something "cause trouble" is 1917, Amer.Eng. colloquial. For starters "to begin with" is 1873, Amer.Eng. colloquial. Starter home is from 1976; starter set is from 1946, originally of china. Starting block first recorded 1937.
borg: fictional hostile alien hive-race in the "Star Trek" series, noted for "assimilating" defeated rivals, fist introduced in "The Next Generation" TV series (debut fall 1987). Their catchphrase is "resistance is futile."
bear (n.): O.E. bera "bear," from P.Gmc. *beron "the brown one" (cf. O.N. björn, Ger. Bär), from PIE *bher- (3) "bright, brown" (see brown). Greek arktos and Latin ursus retain the PIE root word for "bear" (*rtko), but it is believed to have been ritually replaced in the northern branches because of hunters' taboo on names of wild animals (cf. the Ir. equivalent "the good calf," Welsh "honey-pig," Lith. "the licker," Rus. medved "honey-eater"). Others connect the Germanic word with Latin ferus "wild," as if it meant "the wild animal (par excellence) of the northern woods." Symbolic of Russia since 1794. Used of uncouth persons since 1570s. Meaning "speculator for a fall" is 1709 shortening of bearskin jobber (from the proverb sell the bearskin before one has caught the bear); i.e. "one who sells stock for future delivery, expecting that meanwhile prices will fall." Paired with bull from c.1720.
pitfall: c.1300, a type of animal trap, from pit (1) + fall (v.). Extended sense of "any hidden danger" is first recorded 1580s.
cringe: early 13c., from causative of O.E. cringan "give way, fall (in battle), become bent," from P.Gmc. *krank- "bend, curl up."
flop: c.1600, probably a variant of flap with a duller, heavier sound. Sense of "fall or drop heavily" is 1836, that of "collapse, fail" is 1919; though the figurative noun sense of "a failure" is recorded from 1893. The noun in the literal sense is from 1823.
carpetbagger: 1868, Amer.Eng., scornful appellation for Northerners who went South after the fall of the CSA seeking private gain or political advancement. The name is based on the image of men arriving with all their worldly goods in a big carpetbag (1830), a soft-cover traveling case made of carpet fabric. Sense extended to any opportunist from out of the area.
plump (v.): c.1300, "to fall or strike with a full impact," from M.Du. plompen, or M.L.G. plumpen, probably of imitative origin. Meaning "to plump (something) up, to cause to swell" is first recorded 1533, from the adj.
cave (v.): 1707, Amer.Eng., presumably from E.Anglian dial. calve "collapse, fall in," perhaps from Flem., infl. by cave (n.). Figurative sense of "yield to pressure" is from 1837.
windfall: 1464, from wind (n.) + fall. Originally literal, in ref. to wood or fruit blown down by the wind, and thus free to all. Fig. sense of "unexpected acquisition" is recorded from 1542.
unstable: early 13c., "apt to move," from un- (1) "not" + stable (adj.). Cf. M.H.G. unstabel. Meaning "liable to fall" is recorded from c.1300; sense of "fickle" is attested from late 13c.
offal: late 14c., "waste parts, refuse," from off + fall; the notion being that which "falls off" the butcher's block; perhaps a translation of M.Du. afval.
footstep: early 13c., "footprint," from foot + step. Meaning "a tread or fall of the foot" is first attested 1530s.
obsolesce: from L. obsolescere "to grow old, fall into disuse" inchoative of obsolere (see obsolete).
landfall: "sighting of land," 1620s, from land (v.1) + fall (v.) in the sense of "happen."