Where does “befall” come from?
Befall comes from Middle English bifallen, from Old English befeallan, from Proto-Germanic bifallaną, meaning to fall upon or happen to.
befall (English): To fall upon; fall all over; overtake; To happen;...
Definitions
- To fall upon; fall all over; overtake; To happen;...
Ancestry of “befall”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bifallen | to befall, happen |
| 2 | Old English | befeallan | to fall, fall to or upon; befall; to fall off; be... |
| 3 | Old English | be- | a productive prefix usually used to form verbs... |
| 4 | Old English | hrōpan | to shout, proclaim; cry out, scream, howl; to cry... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hrōpan | to cry out, to call, to shout |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hrōpaną | to cry out, call, shout |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |