fall line

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The point at which rivers begin to fall on their way to the sea.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “fall line” mean?

The point at which rivers begin to fall on their way to the sea.

Is “fall line” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.