ben¹

[ben]Scot.

See more synonyms for ben on Thesaurus.com

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 ben¹

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)

ben²

[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 ben²

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

ben³

[ben]

noun Scot., Irish.

a mountain peak; high hill: Ben Nevis.

Origin of ben³

1780–90; < Scots Gaelic, Irish beann peak

ben⁴

[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. 2018

Examples from the Web for ben

Contemporary Examples

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

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
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

British Dictionary definitions for ben

ben¹

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

Old English binnan, from be- + innan inside

ben²

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

C15: from Arabic bān

ben³

noun

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

Word Origin

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

n.

"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."

ben.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}ben1

ben2

Origin of ben2

ben3

Origin of ben3

ben4

Ben

Examples from the Web for ben

Contemporary Examples

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

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

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

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

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

Historical Examples

Ben had drawn off his boots, and was firing them one after the other at the door.

"Nothing, only you locked the door by mistake," said Ben, coolly.

That he had reason for his distrust was proved by Ben Haley's movements.

Just then Ben Haley, looking from the window, saw some chickens in the yard.

Ben Haley meanwhile was rapidly stripping the chicken of its feathers.

ben1

Word Origin

ben2

Word Origin

ben3

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for ben

n.

ben¹

Origin of ben¹

ben²

Origin of ben²

ben³

Origin of ben³

ben⁴

ben¹

ben²

ben³