ben

ben · noun¹

1. Proto-Germanic*bōjana
2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
3. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-ni-s
4. Proto-Germanic*bōniz
5. Proto-West Germanic*bōni
6. Old Englishbēn
7. Middle Englishben, bene
8. English todayben

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.

ben · preposition, adverb, adjective, noun²

1. Old English · derived frombinnan“within, in, inside of, into”
2. Middle English · derived fromben
3. English todayben

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

ben · noun³

1. Arabic · derived fromبَان“ben tree”
2. Middle English · inherited frombeen
3. English todayben

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

ben · noun⁴

1. Hebrew · derived fromבן“son”
2. Arabic · derived fromبِن
3. English todayben

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

ben · noun⁵

1. Scottish Gaelic · derived frombeinn
2. Scots · borrowed fromben, benn
3. English todayben

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

ben · adjective⁶

1. Italian · derived frombene
2. Latin · derived frombene
3. English todayben

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

ben · noun⁷

Shortening.

Words from the same roots