ben

[ben]Scot.

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noun

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

adverb, preposition

within; inside.

adjective

inside; inner.

Origin of ben

1400–50; late Middle English (Scots); as adv., unexplained variant of late Middle English bin, Middle English binne, Old English binnan (cognate with Old Frisian binna, Middle Dutch, German binnen), equivalent to bi- be- + innan within (cf. in)

ben

[ben]

noun

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

Compare horseradish tree.

Origin of ben

First recorded in 1550–60, ben is from the Arabic word bān

ben

[ben]

noun Scot., Irish.

a mountain peak; high hill: Ben Nevis.

Origin of ben

1780–90; < Scots Gaelic, Irish beann peak

ben

⁴

[ben]

noun (often initial capital letter)

son of (used especially in Hebrew and Arabic names): Moses ben Maimon.

Ben

[ben]

noun

a male given name, form of Benjamin.

Can be confusedbean been Ben bin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ben

boy, heir, relative, sibling, child, descendant, lad, male, disciple, native, fils

Examples from the Web for ben

Contemporary Examples of ben

Ben is not Orthodox or particularly committed to adhering to traditional Jewish laws.
My Week on Jewish Tinder
Emily Shire
January 5, 2015
“I have a survivalist instinct,” said Ben, a 28-year-old New Yorker.
My Week on Jewish Tinder
Emily Shire
January 5, 2015
That quote has been misattributed to him since it first appeared in 1881, when Ben would have been 175 years old.
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations
Kevin Bleyer
January 1, 2015
The revelation that, at age 42, Ben Affleck has one hell of an ass.
Year of the Butt: How the Booty Changed the World in 2014
Kevin Fallon
December 30, 2014
I made the film with my two best friends from high school, Ben Solomon and Filippo Chia.
Cuban Hip-Hop Was Born in Alamar
Daniel Levin
December 26, 2014

Historical Examples of ben

Just then Ben Haley, looking from the window, saw some chickens in the yard.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Ben Haley meanwhile was rapidly stripping the chicken of its feathers.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Ben had drawn off his boots, and was firing them one after the other at the door.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
"Nothing, only you locked the door by mistake," said Ben, coolly.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
That he had reason for his distrust was proved by Ben Haley's movements.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for ben

ben

noun

an inner room in a house or cottage

preposition, adverb

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

adjective

inner

Compare but 2

Word Origin for ben

Old English binnan, from be- + innan inside

ben

noun

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

the seed of such a tree

Word Origin for ben

C15: from Arabic bān

ben

noun

Scot and Irish a mountain peak (esp in place names)Ben Lomond

Word Origin for ben

C18: from Gaelic beinn, from beann

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ben

"mountain peak" in Celtic place names (especially of roughly pyramidal peaks standing alone), from Gaelic beinn, from Old Irish *benno- "peak, horn, conical point," from PIE root *bend- "projecting point."