Betide comes from Middle English bitiden, from be- (intensive) + tiden ('to happen'), from Old English tīdan ('to happen'), related to tīd ('time, tide'). The historical trail runs through be- in Old English and tīd in Old English. Morphologically, betide is transparent: it draws on Middle English bitiden, from be- (intensive) + tiden ('to happen'), from Old English tīdan ('to happen'), related to tīd ('time, tide'). Used as a verb, betide now means "happen or befall (chiefly in 'woe betide')", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as tide and tidings. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct.