Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “befeallan” come from?

befeallan (Old English) comes 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.

befeallan (Old English): to fall, fall to or upon; befall; to fall off; be...

Definitions

  1. to fall, fall to or upon; befall; to fall off; be...

Ancestry of “befeallan”, step by step

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

Words derived from “befeallan”

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