crestfallen English · revision 2358

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈkɹɛstfɔːlən/ ''(UK)''; /ˈkɹɛstfɔlən/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|en|crest|fallen]].^(RHWU)^(Etymonline) It has the form of a past-participle adjective, but the verb ''crestfall'' is recorded only from the 1610s, and rarely.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Dejected, dispirited (1580s).^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) Merriam-Webster dates it to 1589.^(MW Collegiate) Etymonline cites the early form ''creast falne''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The image may be that of a defeated cock with its crest fallen,^(Etymonline) though Etymonline suggests that horses are meant, since the verb ''crestfall'' refers to diseased horses.^(Etymonline) The literal sense, “having a drooping crest or hanging head”, is still listed by dictionaries,^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary) but the figurative “dejected, humiliated” is the usual one.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1589 – dejected, dispirited.^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1610s – verb ''crestfall'', of horses, and ''crest-risen'' “proud”.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Dispirited and dejected, especially after a disappointment or humiliation.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Having a drooping crest or hanging head.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[crestfallenly]]

+ * [[crestfallenness]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[crest]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}