- befall
- verb
(befell; befallen)
Date: 13th century
intransitive verb
to happen especially as if by fate
transitive verb
to happen to <the fate that befell them>
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
befall
Look at other dictionaries:
Befall — Be*fall , v. t. [imp. {Befell}; p. p. {Befallen}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Befalling}.] [AS. befeallan; pref. be + feallan to fall.] To happen to. [1913 Webster] I beseech your grace that I may know The worst that may befall me. Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
befall — (v.) O.E. befeallan to deprive of; fall to, be assigned to; befall, from BE (Cf. be ) by, about + feallan (see FALL (Cf. fall)). Cf. O.Fris. bifalla, O.S., O.H.G. bifallan, Ger. befallen. Related: Befell; befalling … Etymology dictionary
Befall — Be*fall , v. i. To come to pass; to happen. [1913 Webster] I have revealed . . . the discord which befell. Milton. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
befall — index supervene Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
befall — betide, occur, *happen, chance, transpire … New Dictionary of Synonyms
befall — [v] happen to; take place action, bechance, betide, break, chance, come down, come off, come to pass, cook*, cook up a storm*, cook with gas*, develop, ensue, fall, fall out, follow, gel, go, go down, hap*, happen, jell*, materialize, occur,… … New thesaurus
befall — ► VERB (past befell; past part. befallen) literary ▪ (especially of something bad) happen to … English terms dictionary
befall — [bē fôl′, bifôl′] vi. befell, befallen, befalling [ME bifallen < OE befeallan, to fall, fall to as a share or right < be , BE + feallan,FALL] 1. to come to pass; happen; occur 2. Archaic to be fitting; pertain vt. to happen to … English World dictionary
befall — UK [bɪˈfɔːl] / US [bɪˈfɔl] verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms befall : present tense I/you/we/they befall he/she/it befalls present participle befalling past tense befell UK [bɪˈfel] / US past participle befallen UK [bɪˈfɔːlən] / US… … English dictionary
Befall — der Befall (Aufbaustufe) Zustand, bei dem eine Pflanze o. Ä. von einer Krankheit ergriffen wird Beispiel: Der Befall der Bäume mit Insekten dehnte sich auf andere Gebiete aus … Extremes Deutsch
Befall — Be|fall [bə fal], der; [e]s: das Befallenwerden, Befallensein von Krankheiten oder Schädlingen (besonders bei Pflanzen): etwas gegen den Befall von Bohnen mit Blattläusen unternehmen. Zus.: Blattlausbefall, Pilzbefall, Schädlingsbefall,… … Universal-Lexikon
