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Fallow vs Futile - What's the difference?

fallow | futile |

As adjectives the difference between fallow and futile

is that fallow is (of agricultural land) ploughed but left unseeded for more than one planting season or fallow can be of a pale red or yellow, light brown; dun while futile is incapable of producing results; useless; not successful; not worth attempting.

As a noun fallow

is (agriculture|uncountable) ground ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded for one year.

As a verb fallow

is to make land fallow for agricultural purposes.

fallow

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) falow, from (etyl) ).

Noun

  • (agriculture, uncountable) Ground ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded for one year.
  • (agriculture, uncountable) Uncultivated land.
  • (agriculture, obsolete, countable) An area of fallow land.
  • The ploughing or tilling of land, without sowing it for a season.
  • * Sinclair
    • By a complete summer fallow', land is rendered tender and mellow. The ' fallow gives it a better tilth than can be given by a fallow crop.
    Derived terms
    * bastard fallow * cropped fallow * dead-fallow * ecofallow * fallow-break * fallow chat * fallow crop * fallow-field * fallow finch * fallow ground * fallowist * fallow land * green fallow * pin-fallow * rag-fallow * summer fallow * winter fallow

    Adjective

    (head)
  • (of agricultural land) Ploughed but left unseeded for more than one planting season.
  • Inactive; undeveloped.
    • Derived terms
    * apple-fallow * fallow chat * fallow finch * fallowness * lay fallow * lie fallow

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make land fallow for agricultural purposes.
    • Derived terms
    * fallowed * fallowing * re-fallow * thry-fallow * trifallow * twifallow, twyfallow

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) falwe, from (etyl) fealu, from (etyl) 'pale'.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of a pale red or yellow, light brown; dun.
    • a fallow deer or greyhound
    (Shakespeare)
    Related terms
    * fallow deer

    References

    * English terms with multiple etymologies

    futile

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Incapable of producing results; useless; not successful; not worth attempting.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or
  • *
  • *:There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.Stewards, carrying cabin trunks, swarm in the corridors. Passengers wander restlessly about or hurry, with futile energy, from place to place.
  • *{{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 15, author=Marc Higginson, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= Shamrock Rovers 0-4 Tottenham , passage=Goals from Steven Pienaar, Andros Townsend, Jermain Defoe and Harry Kane sealed the win, but Rubin Kazan's 1-1 draw against PAOK Salonika rendered Spurs' efforts futile .}}

    Synonyms

    * ineffectual * unavailing * vain * idle * fruitless * See also

    Antonyms

    * effectual * effective

    Related terms

    * futility * futilitarian