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.
Meanings
(form-of, participle, past) past participle of be.
They been here since yesterday. (dialectal, e.g. AAVE, omitting have)
We're safe, but the car's been totaled.
Postman been?
All the fries have been eaten.
(qualifier:Southern US or African-American Vernacular) remote past form of be.
She was disloyal, Casper was disloyal, so them muthafuckas gotta go. Like you said[,] we been knew we was going to have to kill Frost, so let's do it and Light too.” Star said. “Say no more. I'ma handle Kisha myself.” Max said walking to the door. 2013, DayQuan Miller, Back Blocks, StealthMode Entertainment, page 147
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).
Meanings
(qualifier:Southern US or African-American Vernacular, rare) Synonym of be (infinitival sense).
[…]But one time it use' to been so cold right first of the winter. 1966, DARE Tape SC10, quotee, “be v”, in Frederic G. Cassidy, Joan Houston Hall, editors, Dictionary of American Regional English, volume 1, Harvard University Press, published 1985, page 178:
"Bones", says he, "I tink dey's a-goin' to been a war ober de Alabamy question[…] 1875, Minstrel Gags and End Men's Hand-book, New York: Dick and Fitzgerald, page 83; republished New York: Literature House, 1969:
Yur a boald 'un to tell the missus theer to hur feeace as how ya wur 'tossicatit whan ya owt to been duing yur larful business. 1888, Mary Augusta Ward, “Book I”, in Robert Elsmere, London: Macmillan and Company, page 20:
O Friar, those are faults that are not seen, / Ours open, and of worse example been. 1641, Ben Jonson, The Sad Shepherd, I, iii:
Theſe Beaſtes been of higheſt Regard and Price / To pleaſure Princes and to murder vice. 1606, N[athaniel] B[axter], Sir Philip Sydneys Ouránia, That Is, Endimions Song and Tragedie, Containing All Philosophie, London: […] Ed. Allde, for Edward White, […], →OCLC, signature G, recto:
Some of green Boughs their slender Cabbins frame, / Some lodged were Tortoſa's streets about, / Of all the Hoſt the Chief of Worth and Name / Aſſembled been, a Senate grave and ſtout; 1686, Edward Fairfax, transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne: Or, The Recovery of Jerusalem, section 20, page 8:
Where when men been, there's ſeldome eaſe, c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, prologue]:
My love is fair, my love is gay, / As fresh as been the flowers in May; 1584, George Peele, The Arraignment of Paris, I, ii:
been en · NOUN · etymology 4
Pronunciation
/biːn/
Etymology
From Middle English been, bene, ben, beon, from Old English bēon (“bees”), equivalent to bee + -en (plural ending).