Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• Bään (eastern Moselle Franconian, except Westerwald)
• Bein (Kölsch; Westerwald)

Noun

Been n ‎(plural Been, diminutive Beenche)

1. (Ripuarian, western Moselle Franconian) leg

   Et es e Wonder, datt du met dä kurte Been su flögg loofe kanns.

   It’s a wonder that you can run so fast with those short legs.

German Low German

Alternative forms

• Ben
• (in other dialects) Bein
• (alternate plural spellings) Beenen, Beener

Etymology

From Old Saxon bēn, from Proto-Germanic *bainą. Cognate with German Bein, English bone. Compare the neuter noun sense "bones, skeleton" to the sense of the Gebein.

Pronunciation

• (in many dialects) IPA^(key): /bɛɪ̯n/

Noun

Been n (plural Been or Benen or Bener)

1. (in many dialects, including Low Prussian) leg

Noun

Been n

1. (in some dialects) bone as a material
2. (in some dialects) an indiscriminate number of bones : a skeleton or skeletons

See also

• Knaken, Knake
• Knoken
• beenen, beene (verb)

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Old High German bein, from Proto-Germanic *bainą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beːn/
  • Rhymes: -eːn

Noun

Been n ‎(plural Been)

1. leg

Plautdietsch

Etymology

From Old Saxon bēn, from Proto-Germanic *bainą.

Noun

Been

1. leg

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian bēn, from Proto-Germanic *bainą. More at bone.

Noun

Been n

1. (anatomy) leg

Synonyms

• Skinke

English

Alternative forms

• (obsolete): ybe (see y-).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /bɪn/
  • Homophone: bin
  • Rhymes: -ɪn
• (General American) IPA^(key): /bɛn/
  • Homophone: Ben
  • Rhymes: -ɛn
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /biːn/
  • Homophone: bean
  • Rhymes: -iːn
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /bɨn/, /bɪ̈n/

Verb

been

1. past participle of be
2. (obsolete) plural simple present form of be

   Assembled been a senate grave and stout. — Fairfax.

   • 1584, George Peele, The Arraignment of Paris, I, ii

     My love is fair, my love is gay,

     As fresh as been the flowers in May;

   • c. 1608, William Shakespeare, Pericles, Prince of Tyre, II

     Where when men been, there's seldom ease;

   • 1641, Ben Jonson, The Sad Shepherd, I, iii

     O Friar, those are faults that are not seen,

     Ours open, and of worse example been.

Etymology 2

From Middle English been, from Old English bēon ‎(“bees”), nominative and accusative plural of bēo ‎(“bee”). More at bee.

Noun

been

1. (Britain dialectal) plural of bee
   • Robert Browning

     Which butterfly of the wide air shall brag
     “I was preferred to Guido” — when 'tis clear
     The cup, he quaffs at, lay with olent breast
     Open to gnat, midge, been and moth as well?

See also

• be for forms of be

Statistics

Anagrams

• NEbE

References

Vaux, Bert and Scott Golder. 2003. The Harvard Dialect Survey: been. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Linguistics Department.

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch been.

Noun

been ‎(plural bene)

1. leg
2. bone

Derived terms

• penisbeen

Dutch

Picture dictionary
knie enkel knie enkel heup dij knie kuit enkel voet
Click on labels in the image
limb

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eːn
• IPA^(key): /beːn/

Etymology

From Old Dutch *bēn, from Proto-Germanic *bainą. Compare West Frisian bien, German Bein, English bone, Danish ben.

Noun

been n ‎(plural benen, diminutive beentje n)

1. (anatomy) leg, limb of a person, horse (other animals have poten) and certain objects (again many have poten)

   De benen van een passer.‎ ― The legs of a pair of compasses.

2. (mathematics) side, leg

   De benen van een hoek.‎ ― The sides of an angle.

Usage notes

• An old endingless plural is conserved in the phrase op de been ‎(“upright, standing, awake”).

Noun

been n ‎(plural beenderen or benen, diminutive beentje n)

1. bone, constituent part of a skeleton.
2. (uncountable) bone, the chalky material bones are made of

Synonyms

• (bone): bot

Derived terms

Verb

been

1. first-person singular present indicative of benen
2. imperative of benen

Anagrams

• bene

Dutch Low Saxon

Noun

been

1. leg

See also

• German Low German: Been

Middle English

Etymology

From Old English beon, wesan.

Verb

been

1. to be
   • 1407, The Testimony of William Thorpe, pages 40–41

     And I seide, “Ser, in his tyme maister Ioon Wiclef was holden of ful many men the grettis clerk that thei knewen lyuynge vpon erthe. And therwith he was named, as I gesse worthili, a passing reuli man and an innocent in al his lyuynge. And herfore grete men of kunnynge and other also drowen myche to him, and comownede ofte with him. And thei sauouriden so his loore that thei wroten it bisili and enforsiden hem to rulen hem theraftir… Maister Ion Aston taughte and wroot acordingli and ful bisili, where and whanne and to whom he myghte, and he vsid it himsilf, I gesse, right perfyghtli vnto his lyues eende. Also Filip of Repintoun whilis he was a chanoun of Leycetre, Nycol Herforde, dane Geffrey of Pikeringe, monke of Biland and a maistir dyuynyte, and Ioon Purueye, and manye other whiche weren holden rightwise men and prudent, taughten and wroten bisili this forseide lore of Wiclef, and conformeden hem therto. And with alle these men I was ofte homli and I comownede with hem long tyme and fele, and so bifore alle othir men I chees wilfulli to be enformed bi hem and of hem, and speciali of Wiclef himsilf, as of the moost vertuous and goodlich wise man that I herde of owhere either knew. And herfore of Wicleef speciali and of these men I toke the lore whiche I haue taughte and purpose to lyue aftir, if God wole, to my lyues ende.”

   1382 John Wycliffe, translation of the Bible (John 1:48)

   Bifor that Filip clepide thee, whanne thou were vndur the fige tree, Y saiy thee.

Conjugation

Descendants

• English: to be

Scots

Verb

been

1. past participle of be