Where does “happen” come from?
Happen comes from Middle English happenen and happen, from Old Norse heppinn and happa, from Proto-Germanic hampijaną and -janą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kob- and -yeti.
happen (English): To occur or take place; To happen to; to befall;...
Definitions
- To occur or take place; To happen to; to befall;...
Ancestry of “happen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | happen | to come to pass, happen; fortunate, happy |
| 2 | Old English | hæppan | to move accidentally, slip |
| 3 | Old Norse | happa | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hampijaną | to fit in, be fitting; to occur, happen |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 8 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |