Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “ben” come from?

ben (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic banjō, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰon-yeh₂, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰen-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰon-.

ben (Old English): prayer, request; prayer, request, petition,...

Definitions

  1. prayer, request; prayer, request, petition,...

Ancestry of “ben”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicbanjōwound
2Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰon-yeh₂—
3Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰen-to strike, slay, kill
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰon-—

Words derived from “ben”

  • r
  • thereby
  • whereby
  • bye
  • beans
  • bees
  • bee
  • hereby
  • bean
  • ben
  • soybean
  • bein
  • bygone
  • bene
  • bequest
  • weir
  • beeswax
  • beeline
  • honeybee
  • beanbag
  • howbeit
  • beekeeper
  • beekeeping
  • beanstalk
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰon- →