Etymologically
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fallout

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 25 October 2026 at 23:13. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈfɔːlaʊt/[1]
  • US: /ˈfɔlˌaʊt/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English fall + out,[2][3][4] after the phrasal verb fall out;[2][5][6] for the sense "quarrel" the OED compares the earlier noun falling-out.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A disagreement, a quarrel: 1725, in T. Fuller's Directions, Counsels and Cautions.[2]

Semantic evolution

The modern word belongs to the nuclear age: radioactive particles carried up by a nuclear explosion and falling back as dust or in rain are recorded from 1946, in the Military Engineer,[2] from 1949 in Merriam-Webster[6] and 1950 in Etymonline,[3] and Dictionary.com dates the noun to 1945–50.[5] The figurative sense, the usually unwelcome consequences of an action or event, followed in 1954, in the magazine “Time”,[2][4] and in 1956 the word was first used of dust from industry or volcanoes settling on the ground.[2][6]

Timeline

  • 1725 – a quarrel.[2]
  • 1946 – radioactive particles falling after a nuclear explosion.[2]
  • 1954 – the consequences or aftermath of an event.[2]
  • 1956 – other airborne particles falling to the ground.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Radioactive particles thrown into the atmosphere by a nuclear explosion that fall back to earth; also their falling.[7][6][2]
  2. Other particles, such as volcanic ash or industrial dust, that settle from the air.[6][2][7]
  3. The side effects or consequences of something, usually bad or unexpected: the political fallout from the scandal.[7][6][2]
  4. A disagreement or quarrel.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins