▪ I. ben, adv., prep., a., n.1 Sc. and north. dial.
(bɛn)
Forms: 4 bene, 5– ben.
[Appears first in 14th c. There is no cognate in Scand. languages; so that it must be a dial. variant of ME. binne, bin ‘within’:—OE. binnan, cogn. w. Du., Ger. binnen.]
A. adv. Within, towards the inner part; esp. in or into an inner part of the house relatively, in or into the inner part absolutely; into the parlour, etc. from the kitchen; in the parlour or chamber.
The words but and ben have special reference to the structure of dwelling houses formerly prevalent in the north, in which there was only one outer door, so that it was usual to enter through the kitchen into the parlour, and through the latter to an inner chamber, bedroom, or the like. In reference to the kitchen, the two latter rooms are ben and far-ben respectively; they constitute the ben-end of the house: in reference to the parlour, the kitchen is but, or but the house, or the but end. These phrases are retained even in more modern houses, where the parlour has a separate entrance: ‘go but’ = ‘go into the kitchen’; ‘come ben’ = come into the parlour, etc. Also apartments on opposite sides of a passage are said to be but and ben with each other, though neither is farther out or farther in than the other: come ben, go but are then used of either. Their occupants are said to live but and ben with each other.
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. x. 39 Hyr cors þai tuk wp, & bare ben. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. III. 271 Intumulat..Ben in the queir. 1686 G. Stuart Joco-ser. Disc. 35 When doors stand open, dogs come ben. 1816 Scott Antiq. xv, Baby [= Barbara], bring ben the tea-water..and we'll steek the shop, and cry ben..and take a hand at the cartes. 1865 J. Groves in Harland Lanc. Lyrics 128 Come ben, an' shelter frae the storm. |
b. Phrases: but and ben: in the outer and inner apartment, in both (or all) parts of the house. to live but and ben with: see above. far ben: far within, in the innermost chamber; fig. admitted beyond the ante-room, or to special intimacy or favour, ‘far in.’ o'er far ben: too intimate.
| c 1375 ? Barbour St. Barthol. 22 Þe tempil..Wes fillit ful, but & bene. c 1536 Lyndesay Compl. Bagsche 137, I was anis als far ben as ȝe ar, And had in Court als greit credence. 1632 Rutherford Lett. 20 (1862) I. 83 Ye are..far ben in the palace of our Lord. 1786 Burns Holy Fair xviii, Now butt an' ben the change-house fills. 1814 Scott Wav. xlviii, I admit I could not be so far ben as you lads. |
c. there-ben, corrupt. the-ben (cf. there-out), also ben-by (arch.): inside; = G. darinnen.
| c 1575 Rolland Seuin Seages Prol., For to bring but its ill thats not there ben. 1650 Vind. Hammond's Addr. 22 note, That cannot be brought But, that is not the Ben. 1768 Ross Helenore 33 (Jam.) Your bed s' be made the-ben. a 1774 Fergusson Election, Poems (1845) 40 The coat ben-by, I' the kist-nook..Is brought ance mair thereout. |
B. prep. In or into the inner part of (a house).
| 1684 R. Law Memorials Pref. (1818) 60 (Jam.) Ye..bad the father and mother go ben the house a whylle. 1810 Tannahill Cragie Lee, Poems (1846) 132 Far ben thy dark green planting's shade. 1827 J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1855 I. 354 When ye gaed ben the house. |
C. adj. Inner, interior: as in ben end, ben room. Compared benner, benmost.
| 1774 Fergusson Poems (1789) II. 44 (Jam.) The benmost part o' my kist nook. 1785 Poems in Buchan Dial. 34 (Jam.) Their benner pantries. 1818 Hogg Brownie II. 18 (Jam.), I was a free man i' my ain ben-end. 1820 Scott Abbot xxviii, A door leading into the ben or inner chamber of the cottage. |
D. n. (Elliptical use of the adj.) The inner room.
| 1791–9 Statist. Acc. Scotl. XV. 339 The rent of a room and kitchen, or what..is stiled a but and a ben, gives at least two pounds sterling. 1807 Sir J. Carr Caledon. Sk. 405 (Jam.) A tolerable hut is divided into three parts—a butt..a benn..and a byar, where the cattle are housed. Mod. Sc. ‘Their house is a long low thatched cottage consisting of a but, a ben, and a far-ben.’ |
▪ II. ‖ ben, n.2
(bɛn)
Also 8 bin.
[Gael. beann:—OCelt. *benno-, *bendo-, ‘peak, horn, conical point.’]
A mountain-peak. Used with the names of Scottish mountains; e.g. Ben Nevis, Ben Lomond.
| 1788 R. Galloway Poems 75 (Jam.) From Lomond bin to Pentland know. 1813 Hogg Queen's W. 355 Ben—is a Highland term and denotes a mountain of a pyramidal form, which stands unconnected with others. 1819 ― Jacob. Relics II. 421 (Jam.) Sweet was..the river that flow'd from the Ben. 1884 Manch. Exam. 13 Sept. 5/3 Lowlanders and Irishmen who never climbed a ben. |
▪ III. ben, n.3
(bɛn)
Also 6 benn, 7 behen.
[a. Arab. bān, ‘the ben-tree’ (Lane). The form behen is due to confusion with another word.]
The winged seed of the Horse-radish tree (Moringa pterygosperma); also called ben-nut.
| 1559 Morwyng Evonym. 239 The fruites of Ben..are found about Gonna plenteously. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 374 The Egyptian Ben is more oleous and fat. 1769 Sir J. Hill Fam. Herbal (1812) 33 Ben-Nut-Tree..an Arabian tree. 1783 Ainsworth Lat. Dict. (Morell) ii, Myrobalanum..myrobalan, Ben, or a fruit of ægypt, about the bigness of a filberd. 1866 Treas. Bot. 756 The seeds of..the Horse-radish tree are winged, and are called Ben-nuts. |
b. oil of ben: oil obtained from the ben-nut.
| 1594 Plat Jewell-h. ii. 16 The oile of Benn..is made of the Italian nuts. 1736 Bailey Househ. Dict. 268 The oil of Ben has no smell of it self, but will readily receive any smell that you would impart to it. 1875 Ure Dict. Arts I. 337 Oil of ben..is much used by watchmakers. |
▪ IV. ben
obs. form of behen, the plant.
▪ V. ben
obs. pres. indic., subj. pl., and inf. of be v.