'befriend' originates from Old English elements: the prefix 'be-' (Old English be-) combined with 'friend' from Old English 'frēond', where 'be-' meant 'about/by/around' and 'frēond' meant 'friend'.

'befriend' appeared in Middle English (forms such as 'befrenden'/'befrienden') as the prefix 'be-' attached to 'friend', and it eventually became the modern English verb 'befriend' with past 'befriended'.

Initially it meant 'to treat as a friend' or 'to make a friend of someone'; over time the core meaning has remained largely the same as the modern meaning 'to make friends with or act as a friend to someone'.