Ben

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ben/
• Rhymes: -É›n

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

Alternative forms

• bene

Full definition of ben

Noun

1. (obsolete) A prayer; a petition.

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

Preposition

1. (Scotland, northern England) In, into.
• 2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin 2009, p. 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.

Adjective

1. Inner, interior.

Derived terms

• ben-end, ben-room

Noun

1. (Scotland, Northern England) Ben-room: The inner room of a two-room hut or shack (as opposed to the but).

Probably representing a North African pronunciation of Arabic بان (bān, "ben tree")

Noun

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

Arabic بن and Hebrew בן (ben, "son").

Alternative forms

• Ben

Noun

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

From Scottish Gaelic beinn

Noun

1. A Scottish or Irish mountain or high peak.

Anagrams

• EbN, NbE, neb, Neb.