bə̇ˈfȯl, bē- verb
( be·fell -fel ; be·fall·en -fȯlən, also in poetry & sometimes +V in prose -fȯln ; befalling ; befalls )
Etymology: Middle English befallen, from Old English befeallan (akin to Old High German bifallan to fall), from be- + feallan to fall — more at fall
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to fall due : pertain
taking only what befell to him
2. : to take place especially as if by the prompting of destiny or fate : come to pass
these things befell — George Santayana
3. obsolete : become — used with of
transitive verb
: to happen or occur to especially in the course of events
the saddest thing that befalls a soul is when it loses faith — Alexander Smith
Synonyms: see happen