What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Fallow vs Wasteland - What's the difference?

fallow | wasteland |

As nouns the difference between fallow and wasteland

is that fallow is ground ploughed and harrowed but left unseeded for one year while wasteland is a region with no remaining resources; a desert.

As an adjective fallow

is ploughed but left unseeded for more than one planting season.

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

    wasteland

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A region with no remaining resources; a desert.
    • Ten years of drought had left the area a wasteland
  • Any barren or uninteresting place.
    • After his experiences, he no longer found western Kansas such a wasteland