Middle English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Old English befeallan, from Proto-Germanic *bifallaną, equivalent to bi- +‎ fallen.

Verb edit

bifallen (third-person singular simple present bifalleth, present participle bifallende, first-/third-person singular past indicative bifell, past participle bifallen)

  1. to befall, happen
    • c. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue, lines 19–20:
      Bifil that in that seson, on a day, / In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay
      It happened that, in that season, on a day / In Southwark, at the Tabard, as I lay

Descendants edit

  • English: befall
  • Scots: befaw

References edit

Swedish edit

Participle edit

bifallen

  1. past participle of bifalla

Adjective edit

bifallen

  1. approved, granted

Noun edit

bifallen

  1. definite plural of bifall

Declension edit

Inflection of bifallen
Indefinite Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular bifallen
Neuter singular bifallet
Plural bifallna
Masculine plural3 bifallne
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 bifallne
All bifallna
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic

Anagrams edit