Where does “befallen” come from?
befallen (German) comes from German fallen, from Middle High German vallen, from Old High German fallan, from Proto-West Germanic fallan, from Proto-Germanic fallaną, from Proto-Indo-European pōl-, from Slovincian pól, from Proto-Slavic polъ — to split off, separate; to chop, to separate.
befallen (German): to affect; to seize; to infest
Definitions
- to affect; to seize; to infest
Ancestry of “befallen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | fallen | to fall; to drop; to die; to fall in battle; to... |
| 2 | Middle High German | vallen | to fall |
| 3 | Old High German | fallan | to fall |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fallan | to fall |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fallaną | to fall |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pōl- | — |
| 7 | Slovincian | pól | half |
| 8 | Proto-Slavic | polъ | side, flank; half; member of a pair of options →... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pelH- | to split off, separate; to chop, to separate |