ben
ben Lexical Profile
ben Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Scottish A high mountain peak in Scotland or Ireland, often used in the names of specific mountains.
"Hikers spent the afternoon climbing the steep, heather-covered slopes of the ben."
Scottish The inner room or parlor of a traditional two-roomed Scottish cottage.
"The family gathered in the cozy ben after finishing their chores in the kitchen."
Any of several tropical and subtropical trees of the genus Moringa (family Moringaceae), native to parts of Africa and Asia, or their winged seeds, which yield a non-drying oil (oil of ben) used in perfumery and lubrication.
"Perfumers historically prized the oil extracted from the ben for its remarkable stability and lack of odor."
• adverb
Scottish Inside; toward or into the inner room of a house.
"She invited the shivering travelers to come ben and warm themselves by the hearth."
• preposition
Scottish Into or inside; toward the inner part of.
"The host carried the steaming platter ben the house to serve the waiting guests."
Word Nuance & Usage
In Scots, 'ben' (meaning inside or the inner room) is frequently paired with 'but' (the outer room or kitchen), especially in the traditional phrase 'but and ben' referring to a two-roomed cottage.
• Rhymes for ben
Word Origin & Etymology
The mountain sense derives from Scottish Gaelic 'beinn' (peak or mountain). The Scots spatial sense meaning 'inside' or 'inner room' comes from Old English 'binnan' (within), while the botanical sense derives from Arabic 'bān', denoting the moringa tree.