BharatNotes Fallow
adjective; noun; verb (transitive)/ˈfæloʊ/
Arable land that is ploughed and left unseeded for one or more growing seasons to allow the soil to recover fertility, retain moisture, and break pest and disease cycles.
Usage in a UPSC answer
After years of policy churn, the rural employment scheme was allowed to lie fallow, its administrative machinery intact but its developmental energies dormant for want of timely funds and political will.
Synonyms
uncultivatedunsownuntilleddormantidleinactive
Antonyms
cultivatedproductivefertileactive
Word Family
fallowed (adj), fallowing (v pres.p), fallowest (adj superl)
Root
Old English fealh/fealg = fallow land; Proto-West Germanic falgu; Proto-Indo-European polḱéh₂ = arable land
Etymology
From Old English fealh, fealg ("fallow land"), from Proto-West Germanic falgu, from Proto-Indo-European polḱéh₂ ("arable land").
Memory Hook
"Fallow" sounds like "follow" — a field that lies fallow now will let a richer harvest follow later, because rest restores the soil.
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