An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/geschehen

by Friedrich Kluge

geschehen, verb, ‘to happen, occur, befall,’ from the equivalent Middle High German geschëhen, Old High German giscëhan; a specifically German word (Middle Dutch geschien, Dutch geschieden), as well as the corresponding factitive schicken. It is uncertain whether the word is connected with Gothic skêwjan, ‘to go,’ and the Teutonic root skeh (*kē̆hw, skē̆w), from skek, or Old Slovenian skokŭ, ‘leap,’ and Old Irish *scuchim, ‘I go or pass away.’ See Geschichte and schicken.’