بن
العربية
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بن¹
- /ibn/
- /bin/
Where it comes from
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. The omission of the initial ا is purely a spelling convention.
noun بْن · bn · -
- alternative form of اِبْن (ibn)
بن²
- /bunn/
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Classical Syriac ܒܽܘܢܳܐ (būnā), which, attested as “barley soaked in water”, underwent a meaning development in 14ᵗʰ-century Yemen due to brewages of sundry appetizing beverages, less likely in view of the pungent fish-sauce بُنّ (bunn), but from the picture of barley grains to the coffee bean in particular. Compare meaning transferrals in the spice-names قِزْح (qizḥ) and بِسْبَاس (bisbās), and خَنْدَرِيس (ḵandarīs, “spelt; gruel”) to “wine”, as قَهْوَة (qahwa, “coffee”) originally meant “wine”. This specific meaning strain—it was only generalized in Ethiopia to mean the berry, powder and decoct of coffee too—is confirmed by Ancient Greek βύνη (búnē, “malt”), a borrowing found in Late Antiquity’s Papyrus Graecus Holmiensis and Aëtius of Amida. The further origin can be a technical term restricted from the well-known Middle Iranian word for “base, grounds” found as Classical Persian بن (bun) and Old Armenian բուն (bun), also borrowed directly from Iranian in Omani Arabic بون (būn), compare the Iranianism reflected in Arabic دُرْدِيّ (durdiyy, “lees, amurca”).
noun بُنّ · bunn · أَبْنَان · الْبُنّ
- coffee beans, coffee
- coffee tree
- a fine strong fragrance
بن³
- /bunn/
Where it comes from
Back-formation from بُنِّيّ (bunniyy, “Labeobarbus bynni”), a well-eaten fish of the highest frequency in the Nile.
noun بُنّ · bunn · الْبُنّ · بُنٌّ
- brine, pickling-solution, a fish-dish from the salt water in which for example Labeobarbus bynni has been preserved.
بن⁴
Where it comes from
Apparently denominal from بَنَّة (banna, “odour in particular from lodging-places due to cattle”).
verb بَنَّ · banna · يَبِنُّ · - · بَانّ · مَبْنُون
- to stop over or have a stay
بن⁵
noun بِنّ · binn · الْبِنّ · بِنٌّ
- a place having a fetid odour
- layer of fat
In English
- ben son of
- coffee beans
- brine salt water
- coffee bean The seed of a tropical plant of the genus Coffea
Talk about this word "بن." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ar/%D8%A8%D9%86. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. بن. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ar/%D8%A8%D9%86 "بن." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ar/%D8%A8%D9%86.Cite this
@misc{micwyn_2026,
title = {بن},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ar/%D8%A8%D9%86},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
