Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FAL'CON-ER, n. [Fr. fauconnier.]

A person who breeds and trains hawks for taking wild fowls; one who follows the sport of fowling with hawks. – Johnson.

FAL'CO-NET, n. [Fr. falconette.]

A small cannon or piece of ordnance, whose diameter at the bore is four inches and a quarter, and carrying shot of one pound and a quarter. – Harris.

FAL'CON-RY, n. [Fr. fauconnerie, from L. falco, a hawk.]

1. The art of training hawks to the exercise of hawking.
2. The practice of taking wild fowls by means of hawks.

FALD'AGE, n. [a as in all. W. fald, a fold; Goth. faldan; Sax. fealdan, to fold; Law L. faldagium.]

In England, a privilege which anciently several lords reserved to themselves of setting up folds for sheep, in any fields within their manors, the better to manure them. – Harris.

FALD'FEE, n.

A fee or composition paid anciently by tenants for the privilege of faldage. – Dict.

FALD'ING, n.

A kind of coarse cloth. [Obs.] – Chaucer.

FALD'IS-DO-RY, n. [Sax. fald and stow. Ash.]

The throne or seat of a bishop. [Not in use.]

FALD'STOOL, n. [fald or fold and stool.]

1. A kind of stool placed at the south side of the altar, at which the kings of England kneel at their coronation. – Johnson.
2. The chair of a bishop inclosed by the railing of the altar.
3. An arm-chair or folding chair. Ashmole.

FA-LER'NI-AN, a.

Pertaining to Falernus in Italy. As a noun, the wine made in that territory.

FALL, n.

1. The act of dropping or descending from a higher to a lower place by gravity; descent; as, a fall from a horse or from the yard of a ship.
2. The act of dropping or tumbling from an erect posture. He was walking on ice and had a fall.
3. Death; destruction; overthrow. Our fathers had a great fall before our enemies. Judith.
4. Ruin; destruction. They conspire thy fall. Denham.
5. Downfall; degradation; loss of greatness or office; as, the fall of cardinal Wolsey. Behold thee glorious only in thy fall. Pope.
6. Declension of greatness, power or dominion; ruin; as, the fall of the Roman empire.
7. Diminution; decrease of price or value; depreciation; as, the fall of prices; the fall of rents; the fall of interest.
8. Declination of sound; a sinking of tone; cadence; as, the fall of the voice at the close of a sentence.
9. Declivity; the descent of land or a hill; a slope. Bacon.
10. Descent of water; a cascade; a cataract; a rush of water down a steep place; usually in the plural; sometimes in the singular; as, the falls of Niagara, or the Mohawk; the fall of the Hoosatonuc at Canaan. Fall is applied to a perpendicular descent, or to one that is very steep. When the descent is moderate, we name it rapids. Custom however sometimes deviates from this rule, and the rapids of rivers are called falls.
11. The outlet or discharge of a river or current of water into the ocean, or into a lake or pond; as, the fall of the Po into the Gulf of Venice. Addison.
12. Extent of descent; the distance which any thing falls; as, the water of a pond has a fall of five feet.
13. The fall of the leaf; the season when leaves fall from trees; autumn.
14. That which falls; a falling; as, a fall of rain or snow.
15. The act of felling or cutting down; as, the fall of timber.
16. Fall, or the fall, by way of distinction, the apostasy; the act of our first parents in eating the forbidden fruit; also the apostasy of the rebellious angels.
17. Formerly, a kind of vale. B. Jonson.
18. In seamen's language, the loose end of a tackle. Mar. Dict.
19. In Great Britain, a term applied to several measures, linear, superficial and solid. Cyc.

FALL, v.i. [pret. fell; pp. fallen. Sax. feallan; G. fallen; D. vallen; Sw. falla; Dan. falder; allied probably to L. fallo, to fail; to deceive, Gr. σφαλλω; Sp. hallar, to find, to fall on; Fr. affaler, to lower. See Class Bl, No. 18, 28, 43, 49, 52. Fall coincides exactly with the Shemitic נפל, Heb. Ch. Syr. and Sam. to fall. Fail agrees better with the Heb. נבל, and הבל, but these words may have had one primitive root, the sense of which was to move, to recede, to pass. As these words are unquestionably the same in the Shemitic and Japhetic languages, they afford decisive evidence that the נ or first letter of the Shemitic words is a prefix. The Chaldee sense of נבל is to defile, to make foul. See Foul. The same verb in Ar. نَبَلَ nabala, signifies to shoot, to drive or throw an arrow, Gr. βαλλω.]

1. To drop from a higher place; to descend by the power of gravity alone. Rain falls from the clouds; a man falls from his horse; ripe fruits fall from trees; an ox falls into a pit. I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Luke x.
2. To drop from an erect posture. I fell at his feet to worship him. Rev. xix.
3. To disembogne; to pass at the outlet; to flow out of its channel into a pond, lake or sea, as a river. The Rhone falls into the Mediterranean Sea. The Danube falls into, the Euxine. The Mississippi falls into the Gulf of Mexico.
4. To depart from the faith, or from rectitude; to apostatize. Adam fell by eating the forbidden fruit. Labor to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Heb. iv.
5. To die, particularly by violence. Ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Lev. xxvi. A thousand shall fall at thy side. Ps. xci.
6. To come to an end suddenly; to vanish; to perish. The greatness of these Irish lords suddenly fell and vanished. Davies.
7. To be degraded; to sink into disrepute or disgrace; to be plunged into misery; as, to fall from an elevated station or from a prosperous state.
8. To decline in power, wealth or glory; to sink into weakness; to be overthrown or ruined. This is the renowned Tyre; but oh, how fallen. Heaven and earth will witness, / If Rome must fall, that we are Innocent. Addison.
9. To pass into a worse state than the former; to come; as, to fall into difficulties; to fall under censure or imputation; to fall into error or absurdity; to fall into a snare. In these and similar phrases, the sense of suddenness, accident or ignorance is often implied; but not always.
10. To sink; to be lowered. The mercury in a thermometer rises and falls with the increase and diminution of heat. The water of a river rises and falls. The tide falls.
11. To decrease; to be diminished in weight or value. The price of goods falls with plenty and rises with scarcity. Pliny tells us, the as fell from a pound to two ounces in the first Punic war. Arbuthnot.
12. To sink; not to amount to the full. The greatness of finances and revenue doth fall under computation. Bacon.
13. To be rejected; to sink into disrepute. This book must stand or fall with thee. Locke.
14. To decline from violence to calmness, from intensity to remission. The wind falls and a calm succeeds. At length her fury fell. Dryden.
15. To pass into a new state of body or mind; to become; as, to fall asleep; to full distracted; to fall sick; to fall into rage or passion; to fall in love; to fall into temptation.
16. To sink into an air of dejection, discontent, anger, sorrow or shame; applied to the countenance or look. Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. Gen. iv. I have observed of late thy looks are fallen. Addison.
17. To happen; to befall; to come. Since this fortune falls to you. Shak.
18. To light on; to come by chance. The Romans fell on this model by chance. Swift.
19. To come; to rush on; to assail. Fear and dread shall fall on them. Ex. xv. And fear fell on them all. Acts xix.
20. To come; to arrive. The vernal equinox, which at the Nicene council fell on the 21^st of March, falls now about ten days sooner. Holder.
21. To come unexpectedly. It happened this evening that we fell into a pleasing walk. Addison.
22. To begin with haste, ardor or vehemence; to rush or hurry to. They fell to blows. The mixt multitude fell to lusting. Num. xi.
23. To pass or be transferred by chance, lot, distribution, inheritance or otherwise, as possession or property. The estate or the province fell to his brother. The kingdom fell into the hands of his rival. A large estate fell to his heirs.
24. To become the property of; to belong or appertain to. If to her share some female errors fall, / Look in her face, and you'll forget them all. Pope.
25. To be dropped or uttered carelessly. Some expressions fall from him. An unguarded expression fell from his lips. Not a word fell from him on the subject.
26. To sink; to languish; to become feeble or faint. Our hopes and fears rise and fall with good or ill success.
27. To be brought forth. Take care of lambs when they first fall. Mortimer.
28. To issue; to terminate. Sit still, my daughter, till thou knowest how the matter will fall. Ruth iii. To fall aboard of, to strike against another ship. To fall astern, to move or be driven backward; or to remain behind. A ship falls astern by the force of a current, or when outsailed by another. To fall away, to lose flesh; to become lean or emaciated; to pine. #2. To renounce or desert allegiance; to revolt or rebel. #3. To renounce or desert the faith; to apostatize; to sink into wickedness. These for awhile believe, and in time of temptation fall away. Luke viii. #4. To perish; to be ruined; to be lost How can the soul – fall away into nothing. Addison. #5. To decline gradually; to fade; to languish, or become faint. One color falls away by just degrees, and another rises insensibly. Addison. To fall back, to recede; to give way. #2. To fail of performing a promise or purpose; not to fulfill. To fall calm, to cease to blow; to become calm. To fall down, to prostrate one's self in worship. All nations shall fall down before him. Ps. lxxii. #2. To sink; to come to the ground. Down fell the beauteous youth. Dryden. #3. To bend or bow as a suppliant. Isaiah xlv. #4. To sail or pass toward the mouth of a river, or other outlet. To fall foul, to attack; to make an assault. To fall from, to recede from; to depart; not to adhere; as, to fall from an agreement or engagement. #2. To depart from allegiance or duty; to revolt. To fall in, to concur; to agree with. The measure falls in with popular opinion. #2. To comply; to yield to. You will find it difficult to persuade learned men to fall in with your projects. Addison. #3. To come in; to join; to enter. Fall info the ranks; fall in on the right. To fall in with, to meet, as a ship; also, to discover or come near, as land. To fall off, to withdraw; to separate; to be broken or detached. Friends fall off in adversity. Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide. Shak. #2. To perish; to die away. Words fall off by disuse. #3. To apostatize; to forsake; to withdraw from the faith, or from allegiance or duty. Those captive tribes felt off From God to worship calves. Milton. #4. To forsake; to abandon. His subscribers fell off. #5. To drop. Fruits fall off when ripe. #6. To depreciate; to depart from former excellence; to become less valuable or interesting. The magazine or the review falls off; it has fallen off. #7. To deviate or depart from the course directed, or to which the head of the ship was before directed; to fall to leeward. To fall on, to begin suddenly and eagerly. Fall on, and try the appetite to eat. Dryden. #2. To begin an attack; to assault; to assail. Fall on, fall on, and hear him not. Dryden. #3. To drop on; to descend on. To fall out, to quarrel; to begin to contend. A soul exasperated in ills, falls out With every thing, its friend, itself. Addison. #2. To happen; to befall; to chance. There fell out a bloody quarrel betwixt the frogs and the mice. L'Estrange. To fall over, to revolt; to desert from one side to another. #2. To fall beyond. Shak. To fall short, to be deficient. The corn falls short. We all fall short in duty. To fall to, to begin hastily and eagerly. Fall to, with eager joy, on homely food. Dryden. #2. To apply one's self to. He will never after fall to labor. They fell to raising money, under pretense of the relief of Ireland. Clarendon. To fall under, to come under, or within the limits of; to be subjected to. They fell under the jurisdiction of the emperor. #2. To come under; to become the subject of. This point did not fall under the cognizance or deliberations of the court. These things do not fall under human sight or observation. #3. To come within; to be ranged or reckoned with. These substances fall under a different class or order. To fall upon, to attack. [See To fall on.] #2. To attempt. I do not intend to fall upon nice disquisitions. Holder. #3. To rush against. Fall primarily denotes descending motion, either in a perpendicular or inclined direction, and in most of its applications, implies literally or figuratively velocity, haste, suddenness or violence. Its use is so various and so much diversified by modifying words, that it is not easy to enumerate its senses in all its applications.

FALL, v.t.

1. To let fall; to drop. And fall thy edgeless sword. I am willing to fall this argument. Shak. Dryden. [This application is obsolete.]
2. To sink; to depress; as, to raise or fall the voice.
3. To diminish; to lessen or lower; as, to fall the price of commodities. [Little used.]
4. To bring forth; as, to fall lambs. [Little used.] Shak.
5. To fell; to cut down; as, to fall a tree. [This use is now common in America, and fell and fall are probably from a common root.]

FAL-LA'CIOUS, a. [Fr. fallacieux; L. fallax, from fallo, to deceive. See Fail.]

1. Deceptive; deceiving; deceitful; wearing a false appearance; misleading; producing error or mistake; sophistical; applied to things only; as, a fallacious argument or proposition; a fallacious appearance.
2. Deceitful; false; not well founded; producing disappointment; mocking expectation; as, a fallacious hope.

FAL-LA'CIOUS-LY, adv.

In a fallacious manner; deceitfully; sophistically; with purpose or in a manner to deceive. We have seen how fallaciously the author has stated the cause. Addison.

FAL-LA'CIOUS-NESS, n.

Tendency to deceive or mislead; inconclusiveness; as, the fallaciousness of an argument, or of appearances.

FAL'LA-CY, n. [L. fallacia.]

1. Deceptive or false appearance; deceitfulness; that which misleads the eye or the mind. Detect the fallacy of the argument.
2. Deception; mistake. This appearance may be all a fallacy. I'll entertain the favored fallacy. Shak.

FALL'EN, pp.

or a. Dropped; descended; degraded; decreased; ruined.

FAL'LEN-CY, n.

Mistake. [Obs.]

FALL'ER, n.

One that falls.

FAL-LI-BIL'I-TY, n. [It. fallibilità. See Fallible.]

1. Liableness to deceive; the quality of being fallible; uncertainty; possibility of being erroneous, or of leading to mistake; as, the fallibility of an argument, of reasoning or of testimony.
2. Liableness to err or to be deceived in one's own judgment; as, the fallibility of men.

FAL'LI-BLE, a. [It. fallibile; Sp. falible; from L. fallo, to deceive.]

1. Liable to fail or mistake; that may err or be deceived in judgment. All men are fallible.
2. Liable to error; that may deceive. Our judgments, our faculties, our opinions, are fallible; our hopes are fallible.

FAL'LI-BLY, adv.

In a fallible manner.

FALL'ING, or FALL'ING-IN, n.

An indenting or hollow; opposed to rising or prominence. Addison. Falling away, apostasy. Falling off, departure from the line or course; declension.

FALL'ING, ppr.

Descending; dropping: disemboguing; apostatizing; declining; decreasing; sinking; coming.

FALL-ING-SICK'NESS, n.

The epilepsy; a disease in which the patient suddenly loses his senses and falls.