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been

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been¹

  • /ˈbɪn/
  • [ˈbɪn]
  • /ˈbiːn/
  • [ˈbɪi̯n]
  • /ˈbɛn/
  • [ˈbɛn]

Sounds like bin, bean, Ben · Rhymes with -ɪn, -iːn, -ɛn

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Germanic *ga-

Proto-West Germanic *ga-

Old English ġe-

Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *bʰuHyétider.?

Proto-Germanic *beuną

Proto-West Germanic *beun

Old English bēon

Old English ġebēon

Middle English been

English been

From Middle English been (past participle), from Old English (ġe)bēon. By surface analysis, be + -en.

verb

  1. participle, past past participle of be.be All the fries have been eaten.
  2. remote past form of be. He been had that job.

been²

Where it comes from

Either from Middle English been (“to be”, infinitive) (from Old English bēon, equivalent to be + -en (infinitive ending)), or from a dialectal use of the preceding past tense form as an infinitive form (compare dialectal use of (I)'s, (I) is in the first person, (he) am in the third person, etc).

verb

  1. rare Synonym of be (infinitival sense). It useta been five foot long.

been³

Where it comes from

From Middle English been (plural indicative form); equivalent to be + -en (plural present ending).

verb

  1. obsolete, plural, present plural simple present of be.be My love is fair, my love is gay, / As fresh as been the flowers in May;

been⁴

  • /biːn/

Where it comes from

From Middle English been, bene, ben, beon, from Old English bēon (“bees”), equivalent to bee + -en (plural ending).

noun

  1. UK, dialectal, plural plural of bee

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