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befall

 [bih-fawl]   Origin

be·fall

   [bih-fawl] verb, -fell, -fall·en, -fall·ing.
verb (used without object)
1.
to happen or occur.
2.
Archaic. to come, as by right.
verb (used with object)
3.
to happen to, especially by chance or fate.

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Befall is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
chat, to converse
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Origin:
before 900; Middle English befallen, Old English befeallan. See be-, fall (v.)

Synonyms
1. bechance, ensue, betide, materialize, chance.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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World English Dictionary
befall (bɪˈfɔːl)
 
—vb (usually foll by to) , -falls, -falling, -fell, -fallen
1.  (intr) to take place; come to pass
2.  (tr) to happen to
3.  to be due, as by right
 
[Old English befeallan; related to Old High German bifallan, Dutch bevallen; see be-, fall]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

befall
O.E. befeallan "to deprive of; fall to, be assigned to; befall," from be- "by, about" + feallan (see fall).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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