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• ben
  ben

  noun

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

  noun

  a first name, form of Benjamin.

ben

¹ American  

[ben] / bɛn /

noun

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

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adverb

1. within; inside.

adjective

1. inside; inner.

ben ² American  

[ben] / bɛn /

noun

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

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ben ³ American  

[ben] / bɛn /

noun

Scot., Irish.

1. a mountain peak; high hill.

   Ben Nevis.

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ben ⁴ American  

[ben] / bɛn /

Also Ben

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

   Moses ben Maimon.

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Ben ⁵ American  

[ben] / bɛn /

noun

1. a first name, form of Benjamin.

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ben ¹ British  

/ bɛn /

noun

1. an inner room in a house or cottage

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preposition

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

adjective

1. inner

ben ² British  

/ 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

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ben ³ British  

/ bɛn /

noun

1. a mountain peak (esp in place names)

   Ben Lomond

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Etymology

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”; see origin at 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”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ben Ben

His classmates “were certainly never known as Mordecai ben Aharon ha Levi—which is what my own name is in Hebrew.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

The new venture is "exciting" and "I feel like they're making noma more accessible," Stephen Velasco, an American who has ben living in Copenhagen for 32 years, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025

Cyprus has hosted joint Israeli-Cypriot military exercises, but has not ben involved in any military operations.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2024

Moussi leads the Free Constitutional Party and is a supporter of late president Zine El Abidine ben Ali who was toppled by mass protests in 2011.

From Reuters ● Oct. 3, 2023

Twas he had driven them forth at first, without his killing e’er a one of them, and he himself was ben the castle at the very time.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

"It's gigantic. No human being could process such a quantity" of data, said project leader Daniel Stoekl Ben Ezra, of the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

I am not entirely sure the headphones do a lot to add to the experience, but the sound design by the Ringhams has an impressive precision, as does the shadowy lighting design by Ben Jacobs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Ben McMillan, CIO at IDX Advisors, said he has been keeping a close eye on polls at the national and local level as the drumbeat of anti-data-center rhetoric has picked up.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Before to Tuesday’s vote, CoC chair Ben Kay gave a recap of measures the board took to administer an impartial evaluation that scored the county higher than the city on handling homelessness issues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Ben would probably be easier than sending him a letter.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

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