From Middle High German abfal, abefal, equivalent to ab- (“from”) +‎ Fall (“fall”). Cognate with German Low German Offall, Dutch afval, English offal, Swedish avfall.

Compare typologically Bulgarian отпадък (otpadǎk), Czech otpad, Serbo-Croatian отпад (< Proto-Slavic *otъpadъ < *otъ + *padati). Also compare French déchet (several steps omitting from Latin dēcidō < dē- + cadō).

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• Hyphenation: Ab‧fall

Abfall m (strong, genitive Abfalles or Abfalls, plural Abfälle)

1. waste, garbage, rubbish, litter

   Synonym: Müll

   radioaktiver Abfall ― radioactive waste

2. decrease, decline, drop
3. (religion) apostasy

   Abfall vom Glauben ― apostasy from the creed

4. (obsolete) shutter, lid
   • 1680, Franciszek à Mesgnien Meninski, “Abfall”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎ (in Ottoman Turkish, Turkish, Latin, German, Italian, French, and Polish), Vienna, column 3865:

     کپنک kepenk. Decipula & janua seu fenestra lignea, quae elevatur in officinis, aut tabernis ad arcendam pluviam, umbramque captandam. Abfall/Ladenfall Trappola di casa, balconata di bottega. Lápáczká/dách u kramnicy.

     shutter. A trap and wooden door or window which is raised in workshops or shops to ward against rain and to create shade. shutter/store shutter, trap on a house, shop balcony, trap/roof on a shop

• (waste): Abfallwirtschaft, Abfalleimer, Bauabfall, Bioabfall, Gartenabfall
• (decline): Druckabfall (decline of pressure)

• Beifall

• → Polish: abfal (obsolete)

• “Abfall” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Abfall” in Duden online