Downfall

How to spell downfall

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce downfall

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does downfall mean?

1. nounA sudden loss of power, wealth, status, or success, or the cause of that ruin.

Downfall in a sentence

• Greed proved to be the chief executive's downfall.

• The scandal led to the swift downfall of a once-respected politician.

Where does downfall come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Downfall is a transparent native English compound, joining the Old English elements that became modern 'down' and 'fall'. The 'down' part traces back to Old English dun, meaning 'hill', through the phrase ofdune, 'off the hill', which gradually weakened into the directional word for downward movement. The 'fall' element comes from Old English feallan, 'to drop or descend', shared with the German fallen of the same meaning. The two were welded together in Middle English, first literally for something tumbling down such as falling water or a heavy rain, and later figuratively for the collapse of a person's fortunes, power, or reputation. Because both halves are everyday words, the spelling is regular, though writers must remember it is a single closed compound with a doubled-looking junction: the final 'n' of down meets the 'f' of fall with no space between.

How the word is built

• down (adverb/particle: to a lower place)
• fall (the act of falling)