beken

See also: békén

English

Etymology

From Middle English bekennen, bikennen, equivalent to be- +‎ ken (“to perceive”). Cognate with Dutch bekennen (“to acknowledge, confess”), German bekennen (“to admit, confess”), Swedish bekänna (“to profess, confess”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɪˈkɛn/, /bəˈkɛn/

Verb

beken (third-person singular simple present bekens, present participle bekenning, simple past and past participle bekenned or bekent)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To make known; reveal.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To deliver.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To commit or commend to the care of.
   • c. 1385, William Langland, Piers Plowman, section II:

     Now I bikenne þe criste quod she · and his clene moder.

4. (transitive, chiefly Scotland) To commit.
5. (transitive, chiefly Scotland) To admit as possessor.
6. (transitive, chiefly Scotland) To acquaint; instruct.

Anagrams

• Benke, nebek

Dutch

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈbeːkə(n)/
• Rhymes: -eːkən

Noun

beken

1. plural of beek

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /bəˈkɛn/

Verb

beken

1. inflection of bekennen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Hungarian

Etymology

be- (“onto”) +‎ ken (“smear”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛkɛn]
• Hyphenation: be‧ken
• Rhymes: -ɛn

Verb

beken

1. (transitive) to anoint, spread, smear (to distribute in an even layer), to apply/put on (a soft substance, cream, oil, paint, etc.)

   bekeni az arcát krémmel ― to apply cream on one's face

Conjugation

Conjugation of beken

Click for archaic forms			1st person sg	2nd person sg informal	3rd person sg, 2nd p. sg formal	1st person pl	2nd person pl informal	3rd person pl, 2nd p. pl formal
indica­tive	indica­tive	pre­sent	indef.	bekenek	bekensz	beken	bekenünk	bekentek	bekennek
			def.	bekenem	bekened	bekeni	bekenjük	bekenitek	bekenik
			2nd obj	bekenlek
		past	indef.	bekentem	bekentél	bekent	bekentünk	bekentetek	bekentek
			def.	bekentem	bekented	bekente	bekentük	bekentétek	bekenték
			2nd obj	bekentelek
		future		Future is expressed with a present-tense verb with a completion-marking prefix and/or a time adverb, or—more explicitly—with the infinitive plus the conjugated auxiliary verb fog, e.g. be fog kenni.
archaic preterite		indef.	bekenék	bekenél	bekene	bekenénk	bekenétek	bekenének
		def.	bekeném	bekenéd	bekené	bekenénk	bekenétek	bekenék
		2nd obj	bekenélek
archaic past		Two additional past tenses: the present and the (current) past forms followed by vala (volt), e.g. beken vala, bekent vala/volt.
archaic future	indef.	bekenendek	bekenendesz	bekenend	bekenendünk	bekenendetek	bekenendenek
	def.	bekenendem	bekenended	bekenendi	bekenendjük	bekenenditek	bekenendik
	2nd obj	bekenendelek
condi­tional	pre­sent	indef.	bekennék	bekennél	bekenne	bekennénk	bekennétek	bekennének
		def.	bekenném	bekennéd	bekenné	bekennénk (or bekennők)	bekennétek	bekennék
		2nd obj	bekennélek
	past		Indicative past forms followed by volna, e.g. bekent volna
sub­junc­tive	sub­junc­tive	pre­sent	indef.	bekenjek	bekenj or bekenjél	bekenjen	bekenjünk	bekenjetek	bekenjenek
			def.	bekenjem	bekend or bekenjed	bekenje	bekenjük	bekenjétek	bekenjék
			2nd obj	bekenjelek
(archaic) past		Indicative past forms followed by légyen, e.g. bekent légyen
infinitive	bekenni		bekennem	bekenned	bekennie	bekennünk	bekennetek	bekenniük
other forms	verbal noun		present part.	past part.	future part.	adverbial participle		causative
	bekenés		bekenő	bekent	bekenendő	bekenve (bekenvén)		bekenet
The archaic passive conjugation had the same -(t)at/-(t)et suffix as the causative, followed by -ik in the 3rd-person singular (and the concomitant changes in conditional and subjunctive mostly in the 1st- and 3rd-person singular like with other traditional -ik verbs).
The prefix can split from the verb stem, e.g. nem ken be or be is ken.

Potential conjugation of beken

Click for archaic forms			1st person sg	2nd person sg informal	3rd person sg, 2nd p. sg formal	1st person pl	2nd person pl informal	3rd person pl, 2nd p. pl formal
indica­tive	indica­tive	pre­sent	indef.	bekenhetek	bekenhetsz	bekenhet	bekenhetünk	bekenhettek	bekenhetnek
			def.	bekenhetem	bekenheted	bekenheti	bekenhetjük	bekenhetitek	bekenhetik
			2nd obj	bekenhetlek
		past	indef.	bekenhettem	bekenhettél	bekenhetett	bekenhettünk	bekenhettetek	bekenhettek
			def.	bekenhettem	bekenhetted	bekenhette	bekenhettük	bekenhettétek	bekenhették
			2nd obj	bekenhettelek
archaic preterite		indef.	bekenheték	bekenhetél	bekenhete	bekenheténk	bekenhetétek	bekenhetének
		def.	bekenhetém	bekenhetéd	bekenheté	bekenheténk	bekenhetétek	bekenheték
		2nd obj	bekenhetélek
archaic past		Two additional past tenses: the present and the (current) past forms followed by vala (volt), e.g. bekenhet vala, bekenhetett vala/volt.
archaic future	indef.	bekenhetendek or bekenandhatok	bekenhetendesz or bekenandhatsz	bekenhetend or bekenandhat	bekenhetendünk or bekenandhatunk	bekenhetendetek or bekenandhattok	bekenhetendenek or bekenandhatnak
	def.	bekenhetendem or bekenandhatom	bekenhetended or bekenandhatod	bekenhetendi or bekenandhatja	bekenhetendjük or bekenandhatjuk	bekenhetenditek or bekenandhatjátok	bekenhetendik or bekenandhatják
	2nd obj	bekenhetendelek or bekenandhatlak
condi­tional	pre­sent	indef.	bekenhetnék	bekenhetnél	bekenhetne	bekenhetnénk	bekenhetnétek	bekenhetnének
		def.	bekenhetném	bekenhetnéd	bekenhetné	bekenhetnénk (or bekenhetnők)	bekenhetnétek	bekenhetnék
		2nd obj	bekenhetnélek
	past		Indicative past forms followed by volna, e.g. bekenhetett volna
sub­junc­tive	sub­junc­tive	pre­sent	indef.	bekenhessek	bekenhess or bekenhessél	bekenhessen	bekenhessünk	bekenhessetek	bekenhessenek
			def.	bekenhessem	bekenhesd or bekenhessed	bekenhesse	bekenhessük	bekenhessétek	bekenhessék
			2nd obj	bekenhesselek
(archaic) past		Indicative past forms followed by légyen, e.g. bekenhetett légyen
infinitive	(bekenhetni)		(bekenhetnem)	(bekenhetned)	(bekenhetnie)	(bekenhetnünk)	(bekenhetnetek)	(bekenhetniük)
other forms	positive adjective			negative adjective		adverbial participle
	bekenhető			bekenhetetlen		(bekenhetve / bekenhetvén)
The prefix can split from the verb stem, e.g. nem kenhet be or be is kenhet.

Derived terms

• bekenés

Further reading

• beken in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
• beken in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2026).

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch bekend (“(well-)known”), from Middle Dutch bekent, part participle of bekennen (“to know”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /bəˈkɛn/ [bəˈken]
• Rhymes: -ɛn
• Syllabification: be‧ken

Adjective

bêkèn

1. (colloquial) synonym of terkenal (“famous, well-known”)
   • 2018 November 24, Dyah Yasmina, “Wisata Kuliner di Wonogiri [Culinary Tour in Wonogiri]”, in Sukasukadee.com‎^[1] (blog), archived from the original on 11 September 2025:

     Untuk yang ingin makan bakso yang sudah beken, bisa makan bakso^[sic] Titoti yang jaraknya sekitar 10 menit jalan kaki dari stasiun.

     Those who wish to eat bakso that’s already well-known may dine at Bakso Titoti, which is about a 10-minute walk from the station.

   • 2026 January 9, Achmad Maudhody, “Berhenti Menyanyi Dangdut, Cita Citata Beber Konsekuensi Usai Lepaskan Nama Panggung: Dari Nol”, in Banjarmasin Post‎^[2], archived from the original on 11 January 2026:

     Setop menyanyi dangdut, Cita Citata beberkan konsekuensi melepas nama panggung yang sudah beken.

     After she ceased performing dangdut, Cita Citata revealed the consequences of giving up her well-known stage name.

Derived terms

• kebekenan (“fame”) (colloquial, uncommon)

Further reading

• “beken”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Middle English

Alternative forms

• beeken, beekne, bekene, bekne, bekyn, biken

Etymology

Inherited from Old English bēacn, bēcn, from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbeːkən/, /ˈbɛ̝ːkən/

Noun

beken (plural bekenes)

1. A beacon; a fire signaling impending danger.
2. (rare) The structure a beacon is placed on.
3. (rare) A lighthouse.
4. (rare) A flag (identifying cloth)

Related terms

• bekenen

Descendants

• English: beacon
• Middle Scots: beikin, bekin

References

• “bẹ̄ken, bēken, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 25 June 2018.