Middle English word been comes from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es-, Proto-Indo-European *er-, Old Armenian *եստ, Proto-Indo-European *wes-, Proto-Indo-European *bʰowHéyeti, and later Proto-Germanic *wesaną (To consume, feast.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *h₁es- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *er- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *եստ | Old Armenian (xcl) | |
| *wes- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰowHéyeti | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *iraną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | |
| *wesaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To consume, feast. |
| *beuną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To be. To become. |
| *h₁é-h₁es- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *ar-t | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | |
| *wesaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To be. To exist. To remain. |
| eart | Old English (ang) | |
| been | Middle English (enm) | To be. |