happen

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English happenen, hapnen, augmented from Middle English happen (“to come to pass, happen”), perhaps from Old English hæppan (“to move accidentally, slip”) and/or from Old Norse *happa, *heppa, from Proto-Germanic *hampijaną (“to fit in, be fitting”). Equivalent to hap (“a chance, occurrence, byfall”) +‎ -en (verbal suffix). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈhæpən/ Rhymes: -æpən === Verb === happen (third-person singular simple present happens, present participle happening, simple past and past participle happened) (intransitive) To occur or take place. Synonyms: come to pass; see also Thesaurus:happen (transitive, archaic) To happen to; to befall. (intransitive or impersonal, with infinitive) To do or occur by chance or unexpectedly. (followed by on or upon) To encounter by chance. (informal) To become popular or trendy. ==== Usage notes ==== In the sense which indicates a chance occurrence, happen is a catenative verb that takes the to-infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== happening happenstance ==== Translations ==== === Adverb === happen (not comparable) (obsolete or dialect) maybe, perhaps. == Dutch == === Etymology === From hap (“bite”) +‎ -en. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɦɑpə(n)/ Rhymes: -ɑpən === Verb === happen to take a bite ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Papiamentu: hap === Noun === happen plural of hap