ben

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ben"

Languages (50)

Translingual • English

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Ahtna • Amele • Berbice Creole Dutch • Catalan • Cimbrian • Cornish • Corsican • Danish • Domari • Dutch • Faroese • French • Friulian • Galician • Interlingua • Istriot • Italian • Japanese • Kabuverdianu • Ladin • Lombard • Lower Tanana • Mandarin • Manx • Middle English • Northern Kurdish • Norwegian Bokmål • Occitan • Old Dutch • Old English • Old French • Old Frisian • Old Irish • Old Norse • Old Occitan • Old Saxon • Old Swedish • Scots • Serbo-Croatian • Sranan Tongo • Swedish • Talysh • Tày • Turkish • Venetan • Vietnamese • Volapük • Welsh

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Bengali.

Symbol

ben

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Bengali.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Bengali terms

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛn/
• (pin–pen merger) IPA^(key): /bɪn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Homophones: Ben; been (some accents); bin (pin–pen merger)
• Rhymes: -ɛn, -ɪn

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *bōjana

Proto-Indo-European *-nis

Proto-Germanic *-niz

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-

Proto-Indo-European *-nis

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-ni-s

Proto-Germanic *bōniz

Proto-West Germanic *bōni

Old English bēn

Middle English ben, beneder.

English ben

From Middle English ben, bene, from Old English bēn (“prayer, request, favor, compulsory service”), from Proto-West Germanic *bōni, from Proto-Germanic *bōniz (“supplication”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to say”). Related to ban. More at boon.

Alternative forms

• bene

Noun

ben (plural bens)

1. (obsolete) A prayer; a petition.

Etymology 2

From Middle English ben, bene, variation of bin, binne (“within”), from Old English binnan (“within, in, inside of, into”), equivalent to be- +‎ in.

Preposition

ben

1. (Scotland, Northern England) In, into.
   • 2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin, published 2009, page 32:

     And he was waving to me to creep in, so I just did and then just to skip ben the front and then in the lobby.

Adverb

ben (not comparable)

1. (Scotland, Northern England) Inside.

Adjective

ben (comparative benner, superlative benmost)

1. Inner, interior.

Derived terms

• ben-end, ben-room

Noun

ben (plural bens)

1. (Scotland, Northern England) The inner room of a two-room cottage (as opposed to the but); the ben room.
   • 1972, George Mackay Brown, Greenvoe, Polygon, published 2019, page 25:

     Bert Kerston was awakened by a steady tap on the ben window.

Derived terms

• but and ben

References

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language

Etymology 3

From Middle English been, from Old French and Medieval Latin, probably from a North African pronunciation of Arabic بَان (bān, “ben tree”).

Noun

ben (plural bens)

1. A tree, Moringa oleifera or horseradish tree of Arabia and India, which produces oil of ben.
2. The winged seed of the ben tree.
3. The oil of the ben seed.

Synonyms

• (tree): drumstick tree, horseradish tree, moringa

Derived terms

• ben-nut
• ben oil

Translations

ben tree

• Arabic: بَان (ar) m (bān)
• Russian: мори́нга f (morínga)

seed of the ben tree

oil of ben

• Russian: мориндо́вое ма́сло n (morindóvoje máslo)

Etymology 4

From Arabic بِن (bin) and Hebrew בן (ben, “son”).

Alternative forms

• Ben
• bin (Arabic)

Noun

ben (uncountable)

1. (usually capitalized) Son of (used with Hebrew and Arabic surnames).

Derived terms

• brit ben
• Nickie-ben

Translations

son of

• Arabic: بِن (ar) m (bin), اِبْن (ar) m (ibn)
• Hebrew: בן (he) m (ben)
• Ladino: ben
• Persian: بن (fa)

Etymology 5

Borrowed from Scots ben, benn, from Scottish Gaelic beinn.

Noun

ben (plural bens)

1. A Scottish or Irish mountain or high peak.

Derived terms

• Ben Lomond
• Ben More
• Ben Nevis
• Ben Venue

Etymology 6

c. 16th century. Probably from Latin bene or Italian bene.

Adjective

ben (comparative benar, superlative benat)

1. (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) Alternative spelling of bene; good.
   • 1611, Thomas Middleton, The Roaring Girle‎^[2]:

     A gage of ben Rom-bouse, / In a bousing-ken of Rom-vile, / Is benar than a Caster, / Pecke, pennam, lay, or popler, / Which we mill in deuse a vile.

     [paraphrase] A pot of good wine, / In a pub of London, / Is better than a cloak, / Meat, bread, milk, or porridge, / Which we steal in the countryside.

Derived terms

• ben-cull
• ben mort
• fidlam ben

Etymology 7

Shortening.

Noun

ben (plural bens)

1. (UK, theater, slang, obsolete) A benefit (performance to raise funds).
   • year?, The Catholic Literary Circular (page 75)

     In the Chronicles of the Stage, some curious particulars are given relating to Sir Henry Herbert and the well-known Sir William Davidson, by which we learn, amongst other things, that a “ben” or benefit at Drury Lane, two centuries ago, was worth a hundred pounds.

References

• John Camden Hotten (1873), The Slang Dictionary

Etymology 8

Noun

ben (plural bens)

1. (Ireland) Alternative form of bin.

References

• J. J. Hogan and Patrick C. O'Neill (1947), “A NORTH-COUNTY DUBLIN GLOSSARY”, in Béaloideas‎^[3], volume 17, number 1/2, An Cumann Le Béaloideas Eireann/Folklore of lreland Society, page 264

See also

• ben-joltram
• ben-shie

Anagrams

• EbN, NEB, NbE, Neb., neb

Ahtna

Alternative forms

• men (Mentasta)

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *wən. Cognate with Lower Tanana benh (“lake”), ben (“water moves”), and more distantly with Navajo -BĮĮD.

Noun

ben (Central, Lower, Western)

1. lake

Derived terms

• łibendelʼaa

Root

ben

1. water level rises, floods, overflows

Stem set

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Optative
Momentaneous	biis	ben	biił	biił
Progressive	biił	—	—	—
Customary	biis	biis	biis	biis
Momentaneous	ben	biinʼ	biił	biinʼ

Derived terms

• datdelben (“container is full”)
• ghalbiił (“it is rising, overflowing”)
• katelben (“water level is starting to rise”)
• tatelben (“water is overflowing”)

References

• Kari, James (1990), Ahtna Athabaskan Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 104

Amele

Adjective

ben

1. big

Noun

ben

1. a big thing

References

• Pavol Štekauer, Salvador Valera, Lívia Kőrtvélyessy, Word-Formation in the World's Languages: A Typological Survey (2012)

Berbice Creole Dutch

Noun

ben

1. bean

References

• Silvia Kouwenberg, Berbice Dutch Glossed Texts (2013)

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈbe̞n]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈben]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -en

Adverb

ben

1. alternative form of bé

   Porteu un vestit ben bonic. ― Wear a very pretty dress.

   Demà al matí ben d'hora m'aixeco i viatjo a Milà. ― Tomorrow morning quite early I'll get up and travel to Milan.

Usage notes

• The form ben is used when it precedes the adjective, adverb or verb form that it modifies, and bé is used in all other cases.

Cimbrian

Alternative forms

• bénne (Sette Comuni)

Etymology

From Middle High German wenne, wanne, from Old High German hwenne, hwanne, from Proto-West Germanic *hwannā, from *hwan, from Proto-Germanic *hwan (“when”). Cognate with German wenn, wann, English when. Doublet of benn (adverb), from the same Middle High German source.

Conjunction

ben

1. (Luserna) when

   Khåntamar khön ben 'z tüata offe di pinakotèk? ― Can you tell me when the art gallery opens?

References

• “ben” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.

Cornish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Brythonic *bon, from Proto-Celtic *bonus (see Breton Ben-, Welsh bôn). Found as pen in the placename Pentewan.

Noun

ben m (plural benyow)

1. base, foot
2. (of a tree) trunk, stump

Etymology 2

Same source as benyn. Cognate with English queen, among others.

Noun

ben f

1. woman

Usage notes

• Only found in the expression hy ben and its derivatives.

Derived terms

• hy ben (“the other, another”)
• an eyl hy ben (“one another, mutual”)

See also

• kila (masculine equivalent)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

ben

1. first-person singular/plural imperfect subjunctive of bos (“to be”)

   Ha gwayt na ven ni tollys.

   And take care we are not tricked.

Mutation

Mutation of ben

radical	soft	aspirate	hard	mixed
ben	ven	unchanged	pen	fen, ven*

* after 'th
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Cornish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Corsican

Etymology

From bè (“well”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛn/

Noun

ben m

1. deceased

Adverb

ben

1. alternative form of bè

References

• https://infcor.adecec.net/

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse bein (“bone, leg”), from Proto-Germanic *bainą, cognate with English bone, German Bein.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beːˀn/, [ˈb̥eˀn]

Noun

ben n (singular definite benet, plural indefinite ben)

1. leg (a limb of a human or an animal used for walking; also, by analogy, the legs of a desk or a chair)

   Synonym: pusselanke (childish; joking)

2. bone (any part of the skeleton)
3. sinecure (a position that requires little to no work but still gives an ample payment; a cushy job.)

Declension

Declension of ben

neuter gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ben	benet	ben	benene
genitive	bens	benets	bens	benenes

References

• “ben” in Den Danske Ordbog

Domari

Etymology

From Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀩𑀳𑀺𑀡𑀻 (bahiṇī), from Sanskrit भगिनी (bhaginī). Cognate with Hindi बहन (bahan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ben̪/, /bɛn̪/

Noun

ben f

1. sister

References

• Matras, Yaron (2012), A Grammar of Domari (Mouton Grammar Library)‎^[4], Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 65

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch bim, from Proto-Germanic *beuną. Cognate with German bin.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛn
• IPA^(key): /bɛn/

Verb

ben

1. inflection of zijn:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Usage notes

Ben, as an imperative, is considered non-standard, the standard form being wees.

Synonyms

• (imperative) wees

Descendants

• Skepi Creole Dutch: ben

References

• Taaladvies.net on ‘wees’ or ‘ben’

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse ben, from Proto-Germanic *banjō.

Noun

ben n (genitive singular bens, plural ben)

1. wound

Declension

n3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ben	benið	ben	benini
accusative	ben	benið	ben	benini
dative	beni	beninum	benum	benunum
genitive	bens	bensins	bena	benanna

n22	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ben	benið	ben	benini
accusative	ben	benið	ben	benini
dative	beni	beninum	benjum, benum	benjunum, benunum
genitive	bens	bensins	benja	benjanna

Noun

ben f (genitive singular benjar, plural benjar)

1. wound

Declension

f8	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ben	benin	benjar	benjarnar
accusative	ben	benina	benjar	benjarnar
dative	ben	benini	benjum	benjunum
genitive	benjar	benjarinnar	benja	benjanna

Derived terms

• benjardøgg
• benjarkolvur

French

Etymology 1

alternative form of bien

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛ̃/
• Rhymes: -ɛ̃

Interjection

ben

1. (informal) Well; uh

   Synonym: bah

Derived terms

• ben voyons

Etymology 2

Clipping of bénard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛn/

Noun

ben m (plural bens)

1. (slang) pants, trousers

Further reading

• “ben”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin bene.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈben/, [ˈbeŋ]

Adverb

ben

1. well
2. properly, nicely

Antonyms

• mâl

Noun

ben

1. good

Related terms

• bon

Galician

Alternative forms

• bem (reintegrationist)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese ben, from Latin bene.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛŋ/ [ˈbɛŋ]
• Rhymes: -ɛŋ
• Hyphenation: ben

Noun

ben m (plural bens)

1. benefit; welfare

   Synonym: beneficio

2. (in the plural) goods
3. good (the forces that are the enemy of evil)

   Antonym: mal

Related terms

• bo

Adverb

ben

1. well

   Antonym: mal

   Ben feito! ― Well done!

2. very; a lot; enough

   Eche un rapaz ben espilido! ― He's a very smart young man!

   • 1473, A. López Ferreiro, editor, Galicia Histórica. Colección diplomática, Santiago: Tipografía Galaica, page 29:

     cando se ganou dos mouros a grande batalla da figeira en donde tamen perdin e me mataron o cabalo e eu sahin ben librado enpero ben ferido de hua saetada enno braço dereito que non a vin curada fasta pasados ben tres meses

     when the great Battle of the Figtree was won to the Moors, where I also lost —and they killed— my horse and I got out safe but badly injured of an arrow shot in the right arm, wound that I saw not cured until more than three months later

3. (followed by de or a contraction of de) a lot (of)

   Bótalle ben de zucre, sen medo! ― Add a lot of sugar, don't be shy!

4. plus, or more, upwards
   • c. 1295, R. Lorenzo, editor, La traducción gallega de la Crónica General y de la Crónica de Castilla, Ourense: I.E.O.P.F, page 174:

     Et durou a guerra dessa uez ontre elles bem dous ãnos, fazendosse todauia muyto mal os hũus aos outros, de guisa que, ante que sse aquella contenda fijnse, morrerõ y muytos

     And the war between them lasted that time for two years plus, making in every way a lot of harm the ones to the others, in wise that, before that conflict had ended, many died there

Related terms

• bo

References

• “ben”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “ben”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “ben”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “ben”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Interlingua

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian bene, French bien, Spanish bien and Portuguese bem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ben/

Adverb

ben (comparative melio, superlative le melio)

1. well

Derived terms

• ben que

Istriot

Etymology

Inherited from Latin bene.

Adverb

ben

1. well, nicely

Noun

ben m

1. good
2. property
3. substance, matter

References

• Antonio Pellizzer; Giovanni Pellizzer (1992), Vocabulario del dialetto di Rovigno d'Istria, pages 111-112
• Cergna, Sandro (2015), Vocabolario del dialetto di Valle d'Istria‎^[5], →ISBN, →OCLC

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛn/
• Hyphenation: bèn

Adverb

ben (apocopated)

1. apocopic form of bene

   ben fatto ― well done

Derived terms

• ben altro

Japanese

Romanization

ben

1. Rōmaji transcription of べん

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese vir.

Verb

ben

1. to come

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin bene.

Adverb

ben (comparative miec)

1. well
2. properly

Noun

ben m (plural bens)

1. (especially in the plural) goods, property

Lombard

Etymology

Akin to Italian bene, from Latin.

Adverb

ben

1. well

Lower Tanana

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *wən ~ bən. Doublet of benh (“lake”). Cognate with Ahtna ben, Navajo -BĮĮD.

Root

ben

1. the water level moves
2. to paint

Stem set

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Optative
Momentaneous	biyh	benh	biɬ	biɬ
Conclusive	benh	benh	benh	benh
Customary	beyh, biyh	beyh, biyh	beyh, biyh	beyh, biyh
Neuter	benh	bin'	biɬ	bin'

Derived terms

• be'aɬ xwdedebeni (“paintbrush”)
• ch'edebenenh (“painter”)
• dedebenh (“it is painted”)
• nenolbenh (“it is overflowing”)
• nodedebiyh (“it is repainted”)

References

• Kari, James et al. (2024), Kari, James, editor, Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, pages 72-73

Mandarin

Romanization

ben

1. nonstandard spelling of bēn
2. nonstandard spelling of běn
3. nonstandard spelling of bèn

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish ben, from Proto-Celtic *benā, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ben/, [bɛᵈn]

Noun

ben f (genitive singular mreih, plural mraane)

1. woman

Mutation

Mutation of ben

radical	lenition	eclipsis
ben	ven	men

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Manx.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 ben”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English bēon, nominative plural form of bēo, from Proto-Germanic *bijōniz, nominative plural form of *bijǭ. Equivalent to bee +‎ -en (plural suffix).

Alternative forms

• been, beon

Noun

ben

1. plural of be (“bee”)

Etymology 2

Verb

ben

1. alternative form of been (“to be”)

Northern Kurdish

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

ben ?

1. string, rope

Derived terms

• benik
• benk

Related terms

• bend
• benî

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Danish ben, from Old Norse bein, from Proto-Germanic *bainą.

Noun

ben n (definite singular benet, indefinite plural ben, definite plural bena or benene)

1. a leg
2. a bone

Alternative forms

• bein

Derived terms

• haleben
• menneskeben

References

• “ben” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Occitan

Etymology

From Old Occitan ben, from Latin bene.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Adverb

ben

1. well

Derived terms

• benlèu

Noun

ben m (plural bens)

1. good, possession

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bain.

Noun

bēn n

1. leg
2. bone

Inflection

Declension of bēn (neuter a-stem noun)

case	singular	plural
nominative	bēn	bēn
accusative	bēn	bēn
genitive	bēnes	bēno
dative	bēne	bēnon

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: bêen
  • Dutch: been
    • Afrikaans: been
    • Berbice Creole Dutch: been
    • Jersey Dutch: beîn
    • Negerhollands: been
    • → Lokono: bèna
  • Limburgish: bein

Further reading

• “bēn”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old English

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *bōjana

Proto-Indo-European *-nis

Proto-Germanic *-niz

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-

Proto-Indo-European *-nis

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-ni-s

Proto-Germanic *bōniz

Proto-West Germanic *bōni

Old English ben

From Proto-West Germanic *bōni. Cognate with Old Norse bón.

Alternative forms

• bœ̄n — Anglian, early Kentish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beːn/
• Rhymes: -eːn

Noun

bēn f (nominative plural bēne or bēna) (West Saxon, late Kentish)

1. prayer, praying
2. request, entreaty
3. boon
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Basilius, Bishop"

     Bide nu æt gode þæt ic grecisc cunne. Þa cwæþ se biscop him to, þu bæde ofer mine mæðe ac uton swa þeah biddan þas bena æt gode.

     Pray now to God that I may know Greek. Then said the Bishop to him, 'Thou hast asked beyond my power, but let us, nevertheless, ask this boon of God.'

Declension

Strong i-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	bēn	bēne, bēna
accusative	bēn, bēne	bēne, bēna
genitive	bēne	bēna
dative	bēne	bēnum

Descendants

• Middle English: ben, bene
  • English: ben, bene
    • ⇒ English: bee
  • ⇒ Scots: been-hook, been-plough

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *banjō. Cognate with Old Norse ben.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ben/
• Rhymes: -en

Noun

ben f

1. alternative form of benn

Old French

Adverb

ben

1. (Anglo-Norman) alternative form of bien

Old Frisian

Ēn bēn (1).

Ēn bēn (2).

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bain, from Proto-Germanic *bainą. Cognates include Old English bān, Old Saxon bēn and Old Dutch bēn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbeːn/, [ˈbɛːn]

Noun

bēn n

1. bone
2. leg

Descendants

• North Frisian: bian (Föhr-Amrum, Halligen), biin (Goesharde, Wiedingharde), Bean (Heligoland), biinj (Mooring), Biin (Sylt)
• Saterland Frisian: Been
• West Frisian: bien

References

• Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009), An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʲen/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *benā, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn.

Noun

ben f (genitive mná, nominative plural mná)

1. woman

   Synonyms: banscál, bé, frac

   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 31^c7

     arna érbarthar, “Ó chretsit, nín·tá airli ar mban”

     lest it be said, “Since they believed, we do not have management (?) of our women”

2. wife

   Synonym: séitig

   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 22^c10

     Is bés trá dosom aní-siu cosc inna mban i tossug et a tabairt fo chumacte a feir, armbat irlamu de ind ḟir fo chumacte Dǽi, co·mbí íarum coscitir ind ḟir et do·airbertar fo réir Dǽ.

     This, then, is a custom of his, to correct the wives at first and to bring them under the power of their husbands, so that the husbands may be the readier under God’s power, so that afterwards the husbands are corrected and bowed down in subjection to God.

Inflection

Feminine irregular

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ben	mnaí	mná
vocative	ben	mnaí	mná
accusative	bein, mnaí	mnaí	mná
genitive	mná	ban	ban
dative	mnaí	mnáib	mnáib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

• ban-

Descendants

• Middle Irish: ben
  • Irish: bean
  • Manx: ben
  • Scottish Gaelic: bean
• ⇒ Middle Irish: benagán

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

·ben

1. third-person singular present indicative conjunct of benaid

Verb

ben

1. second-person singular imperative of benaid

Mutation

Mutation of ben

radical	lenition	nasalization
ben	ben pronounced with /βʲ-/	mben

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 ben”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) [1909], D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, § 291, page 184; reprinted 2017

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *banjō.

Noun

ben f (genitive benjar, plural benjar)

1. mortal wound
2. small bleeding wound

ben n

1. wound

Declension

Declension of ben (strong jō-stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ben	benin	benjar	benjarnar
accusative	ben	benina	benjar	benjarnar
dative	ben	beninni	benjum	benjunum
genitive	benjar	benjarinnar	benja	benjanna

Declension of ben (strong ja-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ben	benit	ben	benin
accusative	ben	benit	ben	benin
dative	beni	beninu	benjum	benjunum
genitive	bens	bensins	benja	benjanna

Related terms

• bani m (“bane”)
• benja (“to wound mortally”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: ben
• Faroese: ben
• Norwegian: ben
• Old Swedish: bæn

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “ben”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Latin bene.

Adjective

ben

1. well

Descendants

• Occitan: ben

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “bene”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 1: A–B, page 322

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bain.

Noun

bēn n

1. bone

Descendants

• Middle Low German: bên
  • Low German: Been, Bein
  • Plautdietsch: Been

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• ᛒᚽᚿ (Runic)

Etymology

From Old Norse bein, from Proto-Germanic *bainą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beːn/

Noun

bēn n

1. bone
2. leg

Declension

Declension of bēn (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bēn	bēnit	bēn	bēnin
accusative	bēn	bēnit	bēn	bēnin
dative	bēni, bēne	bēninu, bēneno	bēnum, bēnom	bēnumin, bēnomen
genitive	bēns	bēnsins	bēna	bēnanna

Descendants

• Swedish: ben

Scots

Etymology 1

From Old English binnan.

Preposition

ben

1. through, in, into, inside (a dwelling).

   A gaed ben the chaumer.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   Come awah ben, hen.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Adjective

ben (comparative benner, superlative benmaist)

1. inner, interior.

Noun

ben (plural bens)

1. The inner room of a two-room hut or shack (as opposed to the but).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic beinn.

Noun

ben (plural bens)

1. mountain, hill

References

• “ben, adv.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 12 June 2024, reproduced from William A[lexander] Craigie, A[dam] J[ack] Aitken [et al.], editors, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1931–2002, →OCLC.
• “ben, adv., prep., adj., n.1.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 12 June 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.
• “ben, n.3.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 12 June 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بك (beñ).

Noun

ben m inan (Cyrillic spelling бен)

1. (regional) birthmark, mole, naevus

   Synonym: madež

Further reading

• “ben”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026
• “ben”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026
• “ben”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From English been.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beŋ/, /ben/, [bɪ̞̃ŋ], [be̝ŋ]

Particle

ben

1. Verbal marker for the past tense.

Usage notes

This marker can be combined with the markers sa or o for the future tense and e for the progressive aspect, in which case the order, if all are used, is that of ben sa/o e. Some examples:

• mi ben waka: “I had walked”.
• mi ben e waka: “I was walking”.
• mi ben sa waka: “I would walk”.
• mi ben sa e waka: “I would have been walking”.

Derived terms

• bo

Swedish

ett ben (vänsterben) [a leg (left leg)] (sense 1)

ett ben (sense 4)

Etymology

From Old Swedish bēn, from Old Norse bein, from Proto-Germanic *bainą.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈbeːn/

Noun

ben n

2. (anatomy) leg
3. leg; part of trousers which covers the legs
4. the part of a piece furniture on which it stands
6. (anatomy) bone; any of the components of an endoskeleton
7. (anatomy) bone; the material of the endoskeleton

Declension

Declension of ben

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	ben	bens
	definite	benet	benets
plural	indefinite	ben	bens
	definite	benen	benens

Declension of ben (dialectal)

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	ben	bens
	definite	bene	benes
plural	indefinite	ben	bens
	definite	bena	benas

Related terms

• armbågsben
• bakben
• bena
• bena upp
• bena ut
• benaska
• benbildning
• benbit
• benbrott
• benfisk
• benflisa
• benfri
• benfärgad
• benföring
• benget
• bengädda
• benhinna
• benhus
• benhård
• benig
• benighet
• bening
• benkläder
• benknota
• benknäckare
• benkol
• benlim
• benlinda
• benling
• benläder
• benlös
• benmassa
• benmjöl
• benmuskel
• benmärg
• benpipa
• benporslin
• benprotes
• benrangel
• benrester
• benröta
• bensax
• benskada
• benskena
• benskydd
• benskör
• benskörhet
• benspark
• bensprattel
• benstomme
• bensträckare
• benstump
• benstyrka
• bensår
• bentackling
• bentag
• benutrymme
• benved
• benvit
• benvärmare
• benvävnad
• bröstben
• båtben
• enbent
• fingerben
• fiskben
• framben
• fyrbent
• handlovsben
• hundben
• karpalben
• kobent
• korsben
• köttben
• lårben
• lösben
• mellanhandsben
• nyckelben
• penisben
• revben
• skenben
• skinn och ben
• strålben
• trebent
• träben
• tvåbent
• underben
• vadben
• vristben
• överarmsben

See also

• knota

References

• “ben”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “ben”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “ben”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• Svensk MeSH

Talysh

Etymology

Borrowed from Azerbaijani beyin.

Noun

ben

1. brain

   Synonym: mazğ

Tày

Pronunciation

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key): [ɓɛn˧˥]
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key): [ɓɛn˦]

Etymology 1

Noun

ben

1. betel case

Etymology 2

Noun

ben (Nôm form 扁)

1. pack; bundle

   ben khẩu nâng ― one bundle of rice

   ben da ― pack of medicine

Verb

ben (Nôm form 扁)

1. to wrap around

   Ben đảy pác khêm bấu ben đảy pác cần.

   You can wrap up a needlestick but you can't wrap up a person's mouth.

Derived terms

• ben boóc

Etymology 3

Noun

(Classifier: ăn) ben

1. weir

   ngắt ben ― to stretch the weir

   nằng ben ― to wait for fish at the weir

References

• Lương Bèn (2011), Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary]‎^[6][7] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
• Dương Nhật Thanh; Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003), Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎^[8] (in Tày and Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội [Social Sciences Publishing House]
• Léopold Michel Cadière (1910), Dictionnaire Tày-Annamite-Français [Tày-Vietnamese-French Dictionary]‎^[9] (in French), Hanoi: Impressions d'Extrême-Orient

Turkish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛn/, /bæn/
• Hyphenation: ben

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish بَنْ (ban /⁠ben⁠/, “I”), from Old Anatolian Turkish بن (/⁠bän⁠/, “I”), from Proto-Common Turkic *bän (“I”), from Proto-Turkic *ben- (“me”), oblique of *be (“I”).

Cognate with Azerbaijani mən, Turkmen men; Uzbek men, Uyghur مەن (men), Karakhanid مَنْ (man /⁠män⁠/, “I”); Crimean Tatar men, Armeno-Kipchak մեն (men), Tatar мин (min), Bashkir мин (min), Kazakh мен (men), Kyrgyz мен (men); Old Turkic 𐰋𐰤 (b²n² /⁠bän⁠/, “I”), 𐰢𐰤 (mn² /⁠män⁠/); Chuvash эпӗ (ep̬ĕ); etc.

Possibly related to Mongolian ᠪᠢ (bi, “I”) / би (bi), Evenki бӣ (bī), Manchu ᠪᡳ (bi, “I”).

Pronoun

ben

1. I, me

   Beni seviyor musun?

   Do you love me?

   Tüm gün evde yatıp sınavdan yüksek almayı bekledikten sonra ben:

   Me after doing nothing at home whole day and waiting to get high grade from exam:

   Babam ve ben her zaman balık tutmaya, bu göle giderdik.

   My father and I always used to go this lake to fish.

Usage notes

• It is one of the two words that has irregular dative case declension. (The other one is "sen (“thou, you”)").
• It is one of the two pronouns that has irregular genitive case declension. (The other one is "biz (“we”)").

Declension

Declension of ben

	singular	plural
nominative	ben	biz
definite accusative	beni	bizi
dative	bana	bize
locative	bende	bizde
ablative	benden	bizden
genitive	benim	bizim

See also

Turkish personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		ben	biz
2nd person	familiar	sen	siz
	polite	siz	sizler
3rd person		o	onlar

Noun

ben (definite accusative beni, plural biz)

1. (psychology) ego

Derived terms

• albeni
• bencil
• benmerkezci

Related terms

• bana
• benli
• benlik
• bensiz
• biz
• -im

Etymology 2

From Ottoman Turkish بك (beñ, “mole”), from Proto-Turkic *beŋ (“mole on the face”).

Cognate with Bashkir миң (miñ), Kyrgyz мең (meŋ), Kazakh мең (meñ) Turkmen meň, Yakut мэҥ (meŋ).

Also compare Mongolian мэнгэ (menge, “mole, birthmark”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Noun

ben (definite accusative beni, plural benler)

1. birthmark, mole

Declension

Declension of ben

	singular	plural
nominative	ben	benler
definite accusative	beni	benleri
dative	bene	benlere
locative	bende	benlerde
ablative	benden	benlerden
genitive	benin	benlerin

Derived terms

• benli
• bensiz

Related terms

• benek

See also

• leke
• yama

Venetan

Etymology

From Latin bene.

Adverb

ben

1. well

Derived terms

• benon

Related terms

• bon

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɛn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɛŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɛŋ˧˧]

Etymology 1

From French benne.

Noun

ben

1. a cabin

See also

• xe ben
• xe tải ben

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

ben

1. (Southern Vietnam) to be comparable

   Synonym: bì

   Ai thong thả, trâu nào ben được ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Volapük

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin bene.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ben]

Noun

ben (genitive bena, plural bens)

1. (sense of) well-being, welfare, being well, wellness

Declension

Declension of ben

	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ben	bens
Genitive	bena	benas
Dative	bene	benes
Accusative	beni	benis
Predicative1	benu	benus
Vocative	o ben	o bens

1. Introduced in Volapük Nulik.

Derived terms

• bened (“a blessing”)
• benik
• beno (“well”, adverb)
• benod (“good deed, charitable act, benefit, benefaction”)
• benäd (“grace”)
• benädü God (“by God's grace, by the Grace of God”)
• benö!
• benön (“be well, be prosperous”, intransitive verb)
• benü (“for the benefit of”) (pöfikans (“the poor”))

Related terms

• benedam (“benediction, blessing (as an action)”)
• benedik (“benedictive, rich in blessings”)
• benedön (“bless”, transitive verb)
• beniköl (“doing well, thriving, flourishing”)
• benikön (“become well, prosper, thrive, flourish”, intransitive verb)
• benoköm (“a welcome”)
• benokömaglidön (“to welcome, bid welcome”, transitive verb)
• benokömö (“welcome!”)!
• benokömön (“arrive at the opportune moment”, intransitive verb)
• benolab (“wellness, i.e. "having (it) well", well-being, prosperity, affluence”)
• benolabik (“prosperous, well-to-do”)
• benovimik (“good-tempered”)
• benovip (“congratulation”)
• benovipön (“congratulate, wish (someone) well”, transitive verb)
• benädik (“gracious”)
• benüköl
• benükön (“benefit”, transitive verb)

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛn/

Etymology 1

From Middle Welsh benn, from Proto-Brythonic *benn, from Proto-Celtic *bend(n)ā (whence Latin benna), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to bind”).

Noun

ben f (plural benni)

1. (transport, archaic) cart, wagon

Synonyms

• men

Mutation

Mutated forms of ben

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
ben	fen	men	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Etymology 2

Noun

ben

1. soft mutation of pen (“head”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of pen

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
pen	ben	mhen	phen

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.