Definition
Happening to someone; occurring as an event or circumstance that affects a person.
Etymology
Present participle of 'befall' (Middle English 'bifallen,' from 'be-' prefix meaning 'around' and 'fallen' meaning 'to fall'). The prefix 'be-' intensifies or indicates involvement, while 'fall' originally meant an event happening to someone.
Kelly Says
Befall is beautifully archaic—it treats life events as things that 'fall' upon us, suggesting fate or circumstance beyond our control, which is why it appears so often in literature when describing misfortune or dramatic plot turns.
Translations
CSČeština
stát se
stát se
DEDeutsch
eintreffen
in-tre-ffen
ELΕλληνικά
συμβαίνει
sim-va-inei
ESEspañol
suceder
soo-se-der
FISuomi
tapahtua
ta-paht-ua
FRFrançais
arriver
ar-ree-ver
HEעברית
להתרחש
le-hi-ter-ach-sh
HUMagyar
befejlődni
be-fe-j-lo-dni
IDBahasa Indonesia
terjadi
ter-ja-di
ITItaliano
accadere
a-kka-der-e
MSBahasa Melayu
terjadi
ter-ja-di
MYမြန်မာ
ပြုလုပ်
py-lu-p-ok
NLNederlands
gebeuren
ge-be-u-ren
PLPolski
przytrafiać się
pry-tra-fi-at sie
PTPortuguês
acontecendo
a-kon-te-cen-do
RORomână
a se întâmpla
a se in-tam-pla
RUРусский
случаться
slu-cha-tsya
TLTL
mangyayari
man-gay-ya-ri
UKУкраїнська
відбуватися
vid-bu-vat-sya
URاردو
واقع ہونا
wa-qi-at ho-na
VITiếng Việt
xảy ra
k-say ra