different between neutral vs fallow

English

Etymology

From Middle French neutral (compare modern French neutre), from Latin neutralis.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?nju?t??l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?nu?t??l/, [?nu?t????l]

Adjective

neutral (comparative more neutral, superlative most neutral)

1. Not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned.
2. Favouring neither the supporting nor opposing viewpoint of a topic of debate; unbiased.
   • 1711, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, Characteristicks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times

     The heart can not possibly remain neutral, but constantly takes part one way or the other.

3. (grammar) Neither positive nor negative.
4. Neither beneficial nor harmful.
   • c. 1600, Sir John Davies, The Original, Nature, and Immortality of the Sou

     Some things good, and some things ill, do seem, / And neutral some, in her fantastic eye.
5. (biology) Having no sex; neuter.
6. Having no obvious colour; gray
7. (physics) Neither positive nor negative; possessing no charge or equivalent positive and negative charge such that there is no imbalance.
8. (chemistry) Having a pH of or near 7, neither acidic nor alkaline.

Synonyms

• (neither beneficial nor harmful): innocuous

Derived terms

• carbon-neutral, carbon neutral
• neutral section

Translations

Noun

neutral (plural neutrals)

1. A nonaligned state, or a member of such a state.
2. A person who takes no side in a dispute.
3. An individual or entity serving as an arbitrator or adjudicator.
4. A neutral hue.
5. The position of a set of gears in which power cannot be transmitted to the drive mechanism.
6. An electrical terminal or conductor which has zero or close to zero voltage with respect to the ground.

Translations

Anagrams

• Renault, run late, unalert, unalter

Catalan

Adjective

neutral (masculine and feminine plural neutrals)

1. neutral

Danish

Adjective

neutral

1. neutral

Inflection

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n????t?a?l/
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

neutral (comparative neutraler, superlative am neutralsten)

1. neutral

Declension

Further reading

• “neutral” in Duden online

Spanish

Alternative forms

• neutro

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /neu?t?al/, [neu??t??al]

Adjective

neutral (plural neutrales)

1. neutral

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ne???tr??l/

Adjective

neutral

1. neutral
2. (grammar) intransitive

Declension

Related terms

• neutralisera
• neutralitet

References

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?fæl??/
• (US) enPR: f?l??, IPA^(key): /?fælo?/
• Rhymes: -æl??

Etymology 1

From Middle English falwe, from Old English fealh (“fallow land”), from Proto-West Germanic *falgu (compare Saterland Frisian falge, Dutch valg, German Felge), from Proto-Indo-European *pol?éh? (“arable land”) (compare Gaulish olca, Russian ??????? (polosá)).

Noun

fallow (countable and uncountable, plural fallows)

1. (agriculture, uncountable) Ground ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded for one year.
2. (agriculture, uncountable) Uncultivated land.
3. The ploughing or tilling of land, without sowing it for a season.
   • 1832, Sir John Sinclair, The Code of Agriculture

     By 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.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

fallow (comparative more fallow, superlative most fallow)

1. (of agricultural land) Ploughed but left unseeded for more than one planting season.
2. (of agricultural land) Left unworked and uncropped for some amount of time.
3. (figuratively) Inactive; undeveloped.

Synonyms

• (figuratively inactive): abeyant, dormant, latent; see also Thesaurus:inactive

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English falowen, falwen, from Old English fealgian (“to fallow; break up land”), from Proto-West Germanic *falg?n (“to fallow”). Cognate with Dutch valgen (“to plow lightly; fallow”), German Low German falgen (“to till; dig a hole”).

Verb

fallow (third-person singular simple present fallows, present participle fallowing, simple past and past participle fallowed)

1. (transitive) To make land fallow for agricultural purposes.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English falwe, from Old English fealu, from Proto-Germanic *falwaz (compare West Frisian feal, Dutch vaal, German falb, fahl), from Proto-Indo-European *polwos (compare Lithuanian pal?vas (“sallow, wan”), Russian ??????? (polovyj, “wan, light yellow”), Serbo-Croatian plâv (“blond, blue”), Ancient Greek ?????? (poliós, “grey”)), from Proto-Indo-European *pelH- (“pale, gray”).

Adjective

fallow (comparative more fallow, superlative most fallow)

2. (color) Of a pale red or yellow, light brown; dun.

Related terms

• fallow deer

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “fallow”, in Online Etymology Dictionary