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Origin and history of became

became

past tense of become (q.v.).

Entries linking to became

become(v.)

Middle English bicomen, from Old English becuman "happen, come about, befall," also "meet with, fall in with; arrive, approach, enter," from Proto-Germanic *bikweman (source also of Dutch bekomen, Old High German biqueman "obtain," German bekommen, Gothic biquiman). A compound of the sources of be- and come (v.).

It drove out Old English weorðan "to befall." The older sense is preserved in what has become of it? The meaning "change from one state of existence to another" is from 12c. The meaning "to look well, suit or be suitable to" is by early 14c., from the earlier sense of "to agree with, be fitting or proper" (early 13c.).

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    amour
    .-17c. to the first syllable as the word became nativized, then shifted back as the sense "illicit love affair" became primary...
    isolated
    English at first used the French word (isole, also isole'd, c. 1750), then after isolate (v.) became an English word, isolated...became its past participle....
    buccaneer
    The Haitian variant, barbacoa, became barbecue....Originally used of French settlers working as woodsmen and hunters of wild hogs and cattle in the Spanish West Indies, they became...
    afford
    The notion of "accomplish" (late Old English) gradually became "be able to bear the expense of, have enough money" to do...something (late 14c.), and the original senses became obsolete....
    hurricane
    In Portuguese, it became furacão. For confusion of initial -f- and -h- in Spanish, see hacienda....The modern form became frequent from 1650 and was established after 1688....
    dinette
    During the reign of George IV. it gradually crept up to six o'clock, and finally became steady at the Indian hour of seven..., and so remained until the reign of Her Most gracious Majesty, when the formal Court dinner-hour became eight o'clock....
    propriety
    character," from Old French proprieté "individuality, peculiarity; property," a later form of the vernacular proprete (which became...
    make
    Old English macian "to give being to, give form or character to, bring into existence; construct, do, be the author of, produce; prepare, arrange, cause; behave, fare, transform," from West Germanic *makōjanan "to fashion, fit" (source also of Old Saxon makon, Old Frisian makia "
    suit
    c. 1300, sute, also suete, suite, seute, "a band of followers; a retinue, company;" also "set of matching garments" worn by such persons, "matching livery or uniform;" hence "kind, sort; the same kind, a match;" also "pursuit, chase," and in law, "obligation (of a tenant) to atte
    urn
    late 14c., "large, rounded vase used to preserve the ashes of the dead," from Latin urna "a jar, vessel of baked clay, water-jar; vessel for the ashes of the dead" (also used as a ballot box and for drawing lots), probably from earlier *urc-na, akin to urceus "pitcher, jug," and

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