Having dropped or collapsed from a standing position; morally corrupted or disgraced; defeated or dead.
From Old English 'feallan' and Germanic roots, the word has meant 'to drop' since before 1000 AD, with the metaphorical meaning 'morally corrupted' appearing in religious texts.
In literature and religion, 'fallen' is used for both physical collapse and moral corruption—'fallen angel' and 'fallen woman' show how the same word carries weight in both literal and spiritual dimensions.
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