fallow
/ˈfæləʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfæləʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfa-(ˌ)lō/ (ame, mw)
fallow — adjective
- fallowpositive
- fallowercomparative
- fallowestsuperlative
1. describing farmland that a farmer chooses to keep empty of crops for one or more
describing farmland that a farmer chooses to keep empty of crops for one or more seasons so the soil can rest and become richer for the next planting.
Pedro left the back field fallow for a year before planting wheat again.
leave + noun + fallow for a stated period
The Chidi family rotates their crops and keeps one third of the farm fallow each season.
keep + noun + fallow with rotation context
Two of the lower fields had lain fallow for three winters by the time Esme bought the land.
After the bad harvest, Eli decided the south pasture should stay fallow until spring.
Goats grazed quietly across the fallow ground behind the old barn.
- uncultivated
broader; can describe land that was never farmed, while 'fallow' implies a deliberate resting period
- untilled
focuses on the absence of plowing rather than on soil recovery
- idle
general term for unused land; lacks the agricultural rotation meaning of 'fallow'
- cultivated
actively planted and worked
- sown
currently planted with seeds
文法句型
fallow + noun (land/field/ground)
lie + fallow
leave + noun + fallow
用法筆記
Only used of cultivated land, usually with verbs like 'lie', 'leave', 'keep', or 'stay'. Subject is typically a field, pasture, plot, or piece of ground, never a wild area that was never farmed.
常見錯誤
2. describing a stretch of time, often in someone's career or in an industry, when
describing a stretch of time, often in someone's career or in an industry, when little new work is produced or progress is made — as if the person or field were resting like an unplanted field.
After two successful novels, Constanza went through a fallow period and wrote nothing for six years.
fallow + period in a creative career
The studio enjoyed huge success in the 1990s, then a long fallow spell followed.
fallow + spell describing inactivity
Ravindra's research project had lain fallow during the pandemic and was only restarted last March.
British comedy films went through a fallow decade before a fresh wave of directors appeared.
Xiu used her fallow years between jobs to learn Korean and travel across Japan.
- dormant
stronger image of sleeping or suspended activity; common with volcanoes or accounts
- inactive
plain everyday word; lacks the literary, agricultural metaphor of 'fallow'
- unproductive
focuses on output rather than on rest; can sound negative, while 'fallow' suggests potential return
- productive
actively creating output
- flourishing
thriving and growing strongly
文法句型
fallow + period/year/spell/time
lie + fallow (of a project or career)
用法筆記
Figurative extension of sense 1. Distinguish from sense 1 by the noun it modifies: a time word (period, spell, year, decade) signals this sense; a land word (field, ground, soil) signals sense 1.
常見錯誤
fallow — noun
1. farmland that has been plowed but deliberately kept free of seeds across one or
farmland that has been plowed but deliberately kept free of seeds across one or several seasons, so the soil can recover its richness.
Matthew walked across the wide fallow behind his grandfather's old farmhouse.
the + fallow as a countable piece of land
By late summer, wildflowers covered the fallow at the edge of the village.
the + fallow with a location modifier
Bilal pointed to a strip of fallow between the wheat and the barley.
Two horses grazed slowly on the fallow during the long afternoon.
- fallow field
more explicit; preferred in modern everyday writing
- rested land
descriptive paraphrase; clearer for general readers
- crop
land currently planted and growing
文法句型
plow + the + fallow
a piece of + fallow
用法筆記
Subject or object is concrete farmland. Often appears with location modifiers ('the fallow behind the barn', 'a strip of fallow'). Most common in agricultural or rural writing.
常見錯誤
2. the condition or stretch of time during which a piece of farmland is left withou
the condition or stretch of time during which a piece of farmland is left without crops so that the soil can recover.
Pim's family kept the western field in fallow throughout the dry years.
in + fallow: state of resting
The long fallow improved the soil enough for a strong harvest the following spring.
the + fallow as a time period
Christopher kept the orchard in fallow for two seasons after the disease spread.
A short fallow can sometimes restore tired soil more cheaply than fertilizer.
- resting period
everyday paraphrase; clearer for non-specialist readers
- dormancy
broader scientific term; used of plants and animals, not specifically of farmland
- cultivation
the active growing season
文法句型
in + fallow
leave + land + in + fallow
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names the resting period or condition itself ('in fallow', 'a long fallow'), not the physical piece of land. Common preposition: 'in'.
常見錯誤
3. the traditional farming method of plowing a field and then leaving it unplanted
the traditional farming method of plowing a field and then leaving it unplanted for a season as a regular way of keeping the soil healthy.
Many ancient villages used fallow as a way to keep their soil rich year after year.
use + fallow as a method
Erik wrote a paper on how medieval farmers in Sweden depended on fallow.
depend on + fallow (the practice)
Modern fertilizers have largely replaced fallow on big commercial farms.
Some organic farmers have returned to fallow because chemical inputs damage local rivers.
- crop rotation
broader system; fallow is one possible step within crop rotation
- land resting
everyday paraphrase; preferred in non-specialist writing
- continuous cropping
growing crops on the same land every season
文法句型
the practice of + fallow
use + fallow as a method
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the farming METHOD or tradition itself, used like 'irrigation' or 'crop rotation'. Sense 2 names a specific resting period of one piece of land.
常見錯誤
fallow — verb
- fallowpresent simple I / you / we / they
- fallows3rd person singular
- fallowing-ing form
- fallowedpast simple
1. to turn over and break up a piece of land with a plow but not plant any seeds in
to turn over and break up a piece of land with a plow but not plant any seeds in it, usually to clear weeds and hold moisture in the soil.
The farmers fallowed the eastern fields every third year to control the spreading weeds.
fallow + plural fields with frequency
Esme fallowed two acres after a long drought damaged the topsoil.
fallow + acres as a recovery action
Older farmers in the valley still fallow their plots in the traditional way.
Matthew fallowed the small back field, hoping the moisture would return before spring.
文法句型
fallow + the land/field
fallow + a plot
用法筆記
Almost always transitive, with an object naming a piece of land. Common in technical agricultural writing. Distinguish from adjective sense 1: the verb names the active plowing action; the adjective describes the resulting unsown state.