been

See also ben, and Ben

English

Wikipedia

Etymology 1

From Middle English ybeen, from Old English ġebēon, past participle of bēon (“to be”).

Alternative forms

• (obsolete): ybe (see y-).

Pronunciation

• (RP, stressed) IPA: /ˈbiːn/, X-SAMPA: /"bi:n/
• (RP, unstressed) IPA: /bin/, X-SAMPA: /bin/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Homophone: bean
• Rhymes: -iːn
• (GenAm, stressed) IPA: /ˈbɪn/, X-SAMPA: /"bIn/
• (GenAm, unstressed) IPA: /bɪn/, X-SAMPA: /bIn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: bean; bin (US accent); Ben (US accent)
• Rhymes: -ɪn

Verb

been

1. Past participle of be
2. (obsolete) were

   Assembled been a senate grave and stout. — Fairfax.

Etymology 2

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

Noun

been

1. (UK dialectal) Plural form of bee

See also

• be for forms of be

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: who · said · would · #46: been · will · no · them

Anagrams

• NEbE

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Dutch

Picture dictionary

knie

enkel

knie

enkel

heup

dij

knie

kalf

enkel

voet

Click on labels in the image

limb

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eːn
• IPA: /beːn/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

been n (plural benen, diminutive beentje)

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.

been n (plural beenderen or benen, diminutive beentje)

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

Derived terms

benig borstbeen gebeente ontbenen tweebeen

Synonyms

• (bone): bot

Verb

been

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

Anagrams

• bene

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Dutch Low Saxon

Noun

been

1. leg

See also

• German Low German: Been

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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.”

Conjugation

Conjugation of been

present	singular	plural
1st person	em, am, be	arn, sind, beeþ
2nd person	art, bist	arn, sind, beeþ
3rd person	is, beeþ	arn, sind, beeþ
subjunctive	be	been
participle	present	past
	beende, beinge	(y)been
simple past	singular	plural
1st person	was	weren
2nd person	werest	weren
3rd person	was	weren
subjunctive	wer(e)	weren
imperative	singular	plural
	be	been

Descendants

• English: to be

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Scots

Verb

been

1. Past participle of be