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