Also spelled befal and befals
verb
Meanings
-
1
verb
to happen to, especially as something bad or fateful
They feared what disaster might befall the expedition.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Old English befeallan ('to fall, be deprived of'), from be- + feallan ('to fall'). The sense 'to happen to' developed from the notion of fortune 'falling upon' someone.
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