ben French · revision 16978
18 Oct 2026, 14:01 by bogdan “New French entry (fr10k, TLFi/FEW/DHLF/BW etc.)” current version
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+ {{homograph|1|ben tree}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=14th century, Moamin|origins=ar بان}}
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /bɛn/^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Forms==
+ '''ben''' ''m''^(Grand Robert 2005)^(TLFi)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The tree name is [[bor|ar|بان|tr=bān|t=ben tree, moringa]],^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Littré 1873)^(FEW|19, 21b) a word already found in Medieval Latin in the 13th century.^(TLFi) The Grand Robert glosses the Arabic tree name as “oriental willow with scented flowers”.^(Grand Robert 2005)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ The French translation of the falconry treatise of Moamin (14th century) has ''ben'' and ''been'' for the oil-bearing moringa: ''oile de been''.^(TLFi)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ ''Noix de ben'', the seed of the moringa, is recorded in 1561, in Antoine du Pinet's translation of Matthioli's commentary on Dioscorides.^(TLFi) Its oil was used chiefly in perfumery.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873) The TLFi notes that some dictionaries give the pronunciation /bɛ̃/, others /bɛn/.^(TLFi)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 13th century – ''Ben'' in Medieval Latin.^(TLFi)
+ * 14th century – ''Ben'', ''been'' in the French Moamin.^(TLFi)
+ * 1561 – ''Noix de ben''.^(TLFi)
+
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Noun===
+ # ''(botany)'' The [[m|en|ben tree]], ''Moringa oleifera'', whose seed (''noix de ben'') yields an oil used in perfumery.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)
+
+ {{homograph|2|well}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|attested=early 19th century|origins=la bene}}
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /bɛ̃/^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Forms==
+ '''ben''' (invariable)^(Petit Robert 2007)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The interjection and adverb is a spelling of [[bien]] that reflects a rural or familiar pronunciation;^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary) the written form dates from the early 19th century, but the pronunciation is much older.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(DHLF 1992) That word itself continues [[la|bene|t=well]].^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ The spelling is attested from the early 19th century;^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005) Balzac has ''eh ben'' in ''La Peau de chagrin'' (1831).^(TLFi)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ ''Ben'' first marked rural or familiar speech (''ben quoi ?''), and it became general in the second half of the 20th century (''bon, ben…'').^(DHLF 1992) The TLFi notes that it can stand for ''bien'' in all its uses, not only as an interjection, with examples such as ''p'tête ben'' (Pailleron, 1879), ''ben, mon vieux'' (Barbusse, 1916) and ''ah ben dis donc'' (Céline, 1936).^(TLFi) In Canadian French it is much less marked and takes most of the uses of ''bien''.^(DHLF 1992)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * Early 19th century – The spelling ''ben''.^(DHLF 1992)
+ * 1831 – ''Eh ben'', in Balzac.^(TLFi)
+ * 1879 – ''P'tête ben'', in Pailleron.^(TLFi)
+ * 2nd half of the 20th century – General familiar use.^(DHLF 1992)
+
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Interjection===
+ # ''(familiar)'' [[m|en|well|alt=Well]], um: ''eh ben !'', ''ben non'', ''ben quoi ?''^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)
+ # ''(familiar, ironic)'' ''Ben voyons !'': of course!, obviously!^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)
+
+ ===Adverb===
+ # ''(rural)'' Well, [[bien]]: ''pt'êt' ben qu'oui'', maybe so.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[bien]]
+
+ ==Usage notes==
+ A slang noun ''ben'' “trousers” (pronounced /bɛn/) is a clipping of ''bénard'', from ''pantalon à la Bénard'' (1876), named after a tailor of the faubourg Saint-Antoine in Paris.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}