Plural of fallow: pieces of farmland left unplanted for a season, or the reddish-brown color that fallow land appears.
From Old English fealo (pale yellow) and fealgian (to plow). The noun refers both to the land itself and its characteristic pale, reddish appearance when left unworked.
Medieval farms divided into three fields, and they'd rotate which one was in 'fallows' each year. This crop rotation system was so successful that it helped populations grow large enough to build cathedrals and cities.
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