Bein

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See also: bein, be-in, and bein'

German

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Etymology

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From Middle High German bein, from Old High German bein, from Proto-West Germanic *bain, from Proto-Germanic *bainą. Compare Dutch been, English bone, Danish ben.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /baɪ̯n/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -aɪ̯n

Noun

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Bein n (strong, genitive Beines or Beins, plural Beine, diminutive Beinchen n)

  1. leg of a person, animal, or object
  2. (technical, archaic, except in compounds) bone
    Synonym: Knochen

Usage notes

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  • In a narrower sense, German Bein excludes the feet, but for the most part it includes them. It can even refer to the feet specifically in some regions where a clothed but barefoot person might hear Du hast ja nichts an den Beinen! (literally You have nothing on your legs!) Compare also the phrase wieder auf den Beinen, where English says “back on one’s feet”.
  • The sense of bone is widely obsolete in standard usage, apart from technical usage ("aus Bein geschnitzt"), some common phrases, such as "durch Mark und Bein", and various compounds, such as Schlüsselbein, Elfenbein, Steißbein.

Declension

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Derived terms

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leg
bone

Further reading

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German Low German

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /bɛɪ̯n/, /baɪ̯n/

Noun

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Bein m (plural Beiner)

  1. Alternative form of Been (leg)

Noun

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Bein n (plural has not been set)

  1. Alternative form of Been (bone)