Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “bifallen” come from?

bifallen (Middle English) comes from Old English befeallan, from Old English be-, from Old English hrōpan, from Proto-West Germanic hrōpan, from Proto-Germanic hrōpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer-, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-, from Proto-Indo-European ker- — army.

bifallen (Middle English): to befall, happen

Definitions

  1. to befall, happen

Ancestry of “bifallen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbefeallanto fall, fall to or upon; befall; to fall off; be...
2Old Englishbe-a productive prefix usually used to form verbs...
3Old Englishhrōpanto shout, proclaim; cry out, scream, howl; to cry...
4Proto-West Germanichrōpanto cry out, to call, to shout
5Proto-Germanichrōpanąto cry out, call, shout
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
8Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

Words derived from “bifallen”

  • befall
  • befalleth
  • misbefall
  • befallen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker- →