English word happen comes from Old Norse heppinn, Proto-Germanic *hampijaną (To fit in, be fitting. To occur, happen.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| heppinn | Old Norse (non) | |
| *hampijaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To fit in, be fitting. To occur, happen. |
| happyn | Middle English (enm) | |
| hapnen | Middle English (enm) | |
| happen | English (en) | (followed by, _, on or upon) To encounter by chance.. To occur or take place.. To occur unexpectedly, by chance or with a low probability. (obsolete or dialect) maybe, perhaps. |