downfall

Etymology

It is formed from English down- + fall,^[2][3] on the model of the phrasal verb fall down;^[2] the Middle English form is dounfal.^[4] Etymonline takes the parts as the adverb and the verb rather than the prefix and the noun.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A fall from a high position to ruin: in the Cursor Mundi, composed before 1325 and copied before 1400.^[2] Etymonline dates it to the early 14th century, Merriam-Webster to the 13th century and Dictionary.com to 1250–1300.^[5][4][6]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, a fall from power or prosperity, is the oldest; the phrasal verb fall down was used of going to ruin from the late 12th century.^[2][5] The literal sense, a falling from a height, appears about 1500,^[5][2] followed by a steep slope or abyss (1542) and a tumble (1556).^[2] From about 1563 the word could name the cause of someone's ruin.^[2][3] A torrent or waterfall was a downfall from 1578 to 1908, and in Britain a heavy fall of rain or snow from 1603.^[2][4] A trap that falls on an animal is recorded from 1856.^[2]

Timeline

• before 1325 – a fall from high standing to ruin.^[2]
• c. 1350 – verb, to fall down.^[2]
• c. 1500 – a falling from a height.^[2][5]
• 1542 – a steep slope; an abyss.^[2]
• 1563 – the cause of someone's ruin.^[2]
• 1578 – a waterfall (until 1908).^[2]
• 1603 – a heavy fall of rain or snow.^[2]
• 1856 – a falling trap, a deadfall.^[2]
• 1969 – in the United States, fallen trees and branches.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sudden loss of power, status, wealth or reputation; ruin: the downfall of the old regime.^[4][2][3]
2. The cause of such a loss: Pride was her downfall.^[2][3]
3. A fall of rain or snow, especially a sudden heavy one.^[4][2]
4. A trap with a part that falls on and catches the animal; a deadfall.^[4][2]
5. (archaic) A steep descent; an abyss.^[4][2]

Verb

1. (chiefly literary) To fall down.^[3][2]

Word family

• downfallen

Related words

• down
• fall
• fall down

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House