ben

¹

[ ben ]

noun

1. the inner or back room of a two-room cottage, especially when used as a combined parlor and bedroom.

adverb

1. within; inside.

adjective

1. inside; inner.

ben

²

[ ben ]

noun

1. the seed of a tropical tree, Moringa pterygosperma, that yields an oil ben oil used in manufacturing cosmetics and lubricating delicate machinery.

ben

³

[ ben ]

noun

, Scot., Irish.

1. a mountain peak; high hill:

   Ben Nevis.

ben

⁴

[ ben ]

1. son of (used especially in Hebrew and Arabic names):

   Moses ben Maimon.

Ben

⁵

[ ben ]

noun

1. a first name, form of Benjamin.

ben

¹

/ bɛn /

noun

1. a mountain peak (esp in place names)

   Ben Lomond

ben

²

/ bɛn /

noun

1. any of several Asiatic trees of the genus Moringa , esp M. oleifera of Arabia and India, whose seeds yield oil of ben , used in manufacturing perfumes and cosmetics, lubricating delicate machinery, etc: family Moringaceae
2. the seed of such a tree

ben

³

/ bɛn /

noun

1. an inner room in a house or cottage

preposition

1. in; within; inside; into the inner part (of a house)

adjective

1. inner

Word History and Origins

Origin of ben¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (Scots); as adverb, an unexplained variant of late Middle English bin, Middle English binne, Old English binnan “within” (cognate with Old Frisian binna, Middle Dutch, German binnen ), equivalent to bi- “near, around” + innan “within”; be-, in

Origin of ben²

First recorded in 1550–60; from Arabic bān, the name of the tree

Origin of ben³

First recorded in 1780–90; from Scots Gaelic, Irish beann “peak”

Origin of ben⁴

From Hebrew bēn, Arabic bin “son”

Word History and Origins

Origin of ben¹

C18: from Gaelic beinn , from beann

Origin of ben²

C15: from Arabic bān

Origin of ben³

Old English binnan , from be- + innan inside

Example Sentences

Ben is not Orthodox or particularly committed to adhering to traditional Jewish laws.

From The Daily Beast

“I have a survivalist instinct,” said Ben, a 28-year-old New Yorker.

From The Daily Beast

That quote has been misattributed to him since it first appeared in 1881, when Ben would have been 175 years old.

From The Daily Beast

The revelation that, at age 42, Ben Affleck has one hell of an ass.

From The Daily Beast

I made the film with my two best friends from high school, Ben Solomon and Filippo Chia.

From The Daily Beast

But Decker's and Ben Jonson's works abound in allusions to tobacco, its uses and abuses.

From Project Gutenberg

I never see sech hosses; 'n' they're jest like kittens; they've ben drefful pets, I allow.

From Project Gutenberg

I can hardly help laughing at this myself; for, Se non e vero, ben Trovato!

From Project Gutenberg

Ben Jonson loved the 'durne weed,' and describes its every accident with the gusto of a connoisseur.

From Project Gutenberg

Captain Hallongton had taken the trouble of finding out Black Ben's manner of doing business and had laid his plans accordingly.

From Project Gutenberg