Bein

See also: bein, be-in, and bein'

German

Etymology

From Middle High German bein, from Old High German bein, from Proto-Germanic *bainą. Compare Dutch been, English bone, Danish ben.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baɪ̯n/

• audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ̯n

Noun

Bein n (genitive Beins or Beines, plural Beine, diminutive Beinchen n)

1. leg of a person, animal, or object; generally including the feet, but sometimes, in a more specific sense, excluding them
2. (archaic) bone

Usage notes

• The sense of bone is widely obsolete in standard usage, apart from a limited number of still common compounds, such as Schlüsselbein and Steißbein.

Derived terms

(leg):

• auf den Beinen
• auf einem Bein kann man nicht stehen
• Beine bis zum Boden
• Bankbein
• Hinterbein
• Holzbein
• Hosenbein
• Stuhlbein
• Tischbein
• Vorderbein

(bone):

• Beinhaus n
• Brustbein
• Dickbein
• Elfenbein n
• Gebein n
• Nasenbein n
• Scheitelbein
• Schienbein
• Schläfenbein
• Schlüsselbein n
• Steißbein n
• Wadenbein

Further reading

• “Bein” in Duden online

---

German Low German

Alternative forms

• (in other dialects, including Low Prussian) Been

Etymology

See Been.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛɪ̯n/, /baɪ̯n/

Noun

Bein ? (plural Beiner)

1. (in some dialects) leg

Noun

Bein ? (plural has not been set)

1. (in some dialects) bone (as material)
2. (in some dialects) bones; a skeleton or skeletons

See also

• Knaken, Knake; Knoake
• Plautdietsch: Been