Big Ben

English

The Clock Tower, popularly called Big Ben

Etymology

Disputed, possibly after Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw the installation of the Great Bell, or after English boxer Ben Caunt.

Proper noun

Big Ben

1. The hour bell in the Elizabeth Tower (formerly known as the Clock Tower), adjacent to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, United Kingdom.
2. (by metonymy) The clock tower itself.
   • 2015, Dorothea Benton Frank, Carolina Girls:

     He pulled up his sleeve and there on his scrawny arm hung a Rolex the size of Big Ben.

Usage notes

• The name Big Ben officially refers to the bell, but is almost invariably used to refer to the London landmark itself. The landmark is officially called Elizabeth Tower.

Synonyms

• (clock): Great Clock

Translations

the hour bell in London

• Arabic: بِيج بِن m (big ben), بِيغ بِن m (biḡ ben)
• Armenian: Բիգ Բեն (Big Ben)
• Azerbaijani: Biq Ben
• Belarusian: Біг-Бе́н m (Bih-Bjén)
• Bengali: বিগ বেন (big ben)
• Bulgarian: Биг Бе́н m (Big Bén)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大本鐘 / 大本钟 (Dà Běn zhōng)

• Dutch: Big Ben n
• Finnish: Big Ben
• French: Big Ben (fr) m
• Georgian: ბიგ-ბენი (big-beni)
• German: Big Ben m
• Greek: Μπιγκ Μπεν (el) (Bigk Ben)
• Hebrew: ביג בן m (big ben)
• Hindi: बिग बेन (big ben)
• Icelandic: Klukkuturn Westminsterhallar, Big Ben
• Japanese: ビッグ・ベン (Biggu-Ben), ビッグベン (Bigguben)
• Kannada: ಬಿಗ್ ಬೆನ್ (big ben)
• Kazakh: Биг Бен (Big Ben)
• Korean: 빅 벤 (Bik Ben)
• Latvian: Bigbens m
• Lithuanian: Didysis Benas m
• Macedonian: Биг Бе́н m (Big Bén)
• Malayalam: ബിഗ് ബെൻ (bigŭ beṉ)
• Marathi: बिग बेन (big ben)
• Persian: بیگ بن (big ben)
• Portuguese: Big Ben m
• Russian: Биг-Бе́н m (Big-Bén)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Биг Бен m

• Spanish: Big Ben m
• Swedish: Big Ben
• Tamil: பிக் பென் (pik peṉ)
• Tatar: Биг-Бен (Big-Ben)
• Telugu: బిగ్ బెన్ (big ben)
• Thai: บิ๊กเบน (bík bayn)
• Ukrainian: Біг-Бе́н m (Bih-Bén)
• Urdu: بگ بین (big ben)

clock tower itself

• German: Big Ben m
• Spanish: Big Ben m

Anagrams

• ebbing

German

Etymology

Borrowed from English Big Ben.

Proper noun

Big Ben m

1. Big Ben (the hour bell in London)
2. (by extension) Big Ben (the clocktower itself)

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English Big Ben.

Proper noun

Big Ben m

1. Big Ben (the hour bell in London)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English Big Ben.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbiɡ ˈben/ [ˌbiɣ̞ ˈβ̞ẽn]

Proper noun

Big Ben m

1. Big Ben (the hour bell in London)
2. (by extension) Big Ben (the clocktower itself)