The times they are a-changin’.
This post seems to be older than 17 years—a long time on the internet. It might be outdated.
What is the etymology of ‘befriend’?
I split the word into ‘be’ and ‘friend’ and look them up. I know what ‘friend’ is.
‘be-‘ is:
From m-w.com:
Middle English, from Old English bi-, be-; akin to Old English bI by, near — more at BY … 5 : make : cause to be : treat as <belittle> <befool> <befriend>
That’s all well and good. But how do you get to ‘behead’? Oh, the wonders of modern English.
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