become
UK[bɪˈkʌm]US[bɪˈkʌm]
v
to begin to be something
v
to be suitable or appropriate for someone
Etymology
the word "become" originates from old english becuman, meaning "to come to, arrive, happen." it is a compound of the prefix be-, which had an intensive or completive force, and the verb cuman, "to come." the semantic evolution shifted from the literal sense of "coming to" a place or state to the more abstract sense of "coming to be" something. this transition from physical arrival to a change of state or condition is a classic example of grammaticalization within the germanic language family. the modern meanings of "to begin to be" and "to suit" both flow logically from this core idea of transformation or attainment.
Analysis
this is a tight germanic compound verb where the modern english spelling does not allow for a clean segmentation into distinct, meaningful substrings based on its current form.
Examples
she wants to become a doctor when she grows up.
that color really becomes you; it matches your eyes perfectly.
over the years, the small village has become a bustling town.