fahl

Meaning

1. pale; faint
2. sallow; pale (discoloured due to sickness, shock, etc.)
3. pale; dun-coloured
4. (obsolete) fair; blond

Concepts

sallow

pale

wan

pallid

sickly

livid

sorrel

valetudinarian

washy

Isabel

Isabella

bluish-white

blue-dun

drab

maladious

dun

faded

faint

fleeting

light

Synonyms

blass

bleich

blässlich

aschfahl

farblos

matt

kränklich

schwach

schwächlich

trüb

undeutlich

unwohl

verendet

welk

aschgrau

blaß

käseweiß

käsig

leichenblass

totenblass

kreidebleich

halbtot

bleigrau

dunkelviolett

weiß wie die Wand

kalkweiß

aschbleich

grau wie Asche

goldfalb

blutleer

düster

falb

hell

kraftlos

kreideweiß

Pronounced as (IPA)

/faːl/

Etymology

From Middle High German val (inflected valwe), from Old High German falo, from Proto-Germanic *falwaz. While the variant falb is from the Middle High German inflected stem, the form fahl is based on the uninflected stem. However, the lengthened vowel points to influence by varieties that reduce -lw- to -l- even in open syllables; these include Middle Low German vāl (declined vāle), from Old Saxon falu. See the same development in kahl. Cognate with Dutch vaal, English fallow.