been

      See also ben, and Ben

      English

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      Etymology 1

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

      Alternative forms

      • (obsolete): ybe (see y-).

      Pronunciation

      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

      Statistics

      Anagrams

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      Dutch

      Etymology

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

      Pronunciation

      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

      Synonyms

      Verb

      been

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

      Anagrams

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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
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      Last modified on 17 June 2013, at 02:00