Etymology

befall

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Today it means: To fall upon; fall all over; overtake. Full definition →

Middle English bifallen ← Old English befeallan ← Proto-West Germanic *bifallan
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*bifallaną
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*bifallan
  3. Old English · inherited frombefeallan
  4. Middle English · inherited frombifallen
  5. English todaybefall

From Middle English bifallen, from Old English befeallan, from Proto-West Germanic *bifallan, from Proto-Germanic *bifallaną; equivalent to be- + fall.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.