Standard Lemma guide

benne

name · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: B EH1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Sesame.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: attributive, uncountable

Examples

  • benne oil; benne seed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

East Indian annual erect herb; source of sesame seed or benniseed and sesame oil

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sesame, benni, benny, Sesamum indicum

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: herb, herbaceous plant

History

Etymology

Borrowed from North German Benne, a variant of the surname Benn. Borrowed also from French Benne, a metonymic occupational surname for the maker or driver of a cart.

From Malay bene, or possibly from Wolof or Eastern Maninkakan.