An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language / in which the words are explained in their different senses, authorized by the names of the writers by whom they are used, or the titles of the works in which they occur, and deduced from their originals

by John Jamieson

BEME, s. A trumpet; Bemys, pl.
Gawan and Gol.

O. E. beem, id.

V. [the v.]

BEMYNG, s. Bumming, buzzing.
Douglas.

BEN, adv.
1. Towards the inner apartment of a house; corresponding to But, S.
Wyntown.
It is also used as a preposition, Gae ben the house, Go into the inner apartment.

A But and a Ben, S.; i. e. a house containing two rooms.
Statist. Acc.

2. It is used metaph. to denote intimacy, favour, or honour. Thus it is said of one, who is admitted to great familiarity with another, who either is, or wishes to be thought his superior; He is far ben. "O'er far ben, too intimate or familiar," Gl. Shirr.
Lyndsay.
3. Leg. as in edit. 1670, far ben.

A. S. binnan, Belg. binnen, intus, (within); binnen-kamer, locus secretior in penetralibus domus; Kilian. Belg. binnen gaan, to go within, S. to gae ben; binnen brengen, to carry within, S. to bring ben.

BEN-END, s.
1. The ben-end of a house, the inner part of it, S.
2. Metaph., the best part of any thing; as, the ben-end of one's dinner, the principal part of it, S. B.

BEN-HOUSE, s. The inner or principal apartment, S.