benjamin meaning (slang): definition, etymology and quotations

Benjamin

nounalso spelled Benjamin

CA, UK /ˈbɛnd͡ʒəmɪn/ · US /ˈbɛnd͡ʒəmɪn/

Etymology

From Late Latin Benjamin, from Ancient Greek Βενιαμίν (Beniamín), from Biblical Hebrew בִּנְיָמִין (binyamīn, literally “son of the right/south or son of days”). Authorities differ on the meaning of the original Hebrew. Philo of Alexandria, the Samaritan Pentateuch The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs and Midrash Leḳaḥ-Ṭob understand יָמִין to mean "days" (a meaning attested in Daniel 12:13) understanding the name to mean "son of days (i.e. old age)" (compare to the direct translations into Arabic بِنْ يَومِين (bin yawmīn) "son of the days" and Arabic بِنْ يَمِين (bin yamīn) "son of the right hand"), a formula paraphrased in Genesis 40:22 where Benjamin is described as a child of Jacob's old age. Rashi in his commentary on Genesis also gives this as a possible meaning but favors an understanding of יָמִין to mean "right" in the sense of "the south", noting that Benjamin was the only son of Jacob born in the south. Jerome understood the name to mean "son of the right hand" and Gesenius speculated that this expression might have meant "son of good fortune".

US, In plural, Often, Slang A $100 bill, which bears a portrait of Benjamin Franklin.

Fuck the past, let's dwell on the 500SL, the E&J and ginger ale / The way my pockets swell to the rims with Benjamins1994, “One More Chance”, in Ready to Die, performed by The Notorious B.I.G.:
Swimmin' in women wit they own condominiums / Five plus fives, who drive millenniums / It's all about the Benjamins, what?1997, “It's All About the Benjamins”, in No Way Out, performed by Puff Daddy ft. Lil' Kim, the Lox, and The Notorious B.I.G.:

3 more examples

Health Care: It's All About the Benjamins [title]2006 April 12, Dean Ornish, “Health Care: It's All About the Benjamins”, in Newsweek, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2006:
Sneering through gold grillz, inked to the neck in bad tattoos and representing my area code, Franco leads the spring breakers through a stylized, mtv version of thug life, replete with drugs, guns, Benjamins and booty call.2015, Thomas Hallock, “City Creeks: Lessons in Sustainable Environmental Discourse from a Florida Boom Town”, in Mark Luccarelli, Sigurd Bergmann, editors, Spaces in-between: Cultural and Political Perspectives on Environmental Discourse, Leiden; Boston, Mass.: Brill-Rodopi, →ISBN, part 1 (Lived Spaces and Political Contexts), page 89:
He pursed his lips, went to the cash register, and opened it. He pulled out two Benjamins and a US Grant, which he set down on the glass case before me.2019, Vincent Zandri, chapter 2, in The Caretaker’s Wife, Hoboken, N.J.: Polis Books, →ISBN:

Related terms: dead president, Washington, Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson, Robert Borden, Ben, Benji, Benjy, Benny

benjamin

noun

/ˈbɛnd͡ʒəmɪn/

Etymology From benzoin, modified by folk etymology to match the name Benjamin.

A balsamic resin from the bark of Styrax trees used in perfumes, incense, and medicine; benzoin resin.

A type of tree which produces benzoin or has similar properties; specifically, Styrax benzoin, Lindera benzoin; a Benjamin bush.

benjamin

noun

UK, Dated, Slang A kind of upper coat for men.

something which is not long enough to constitute a benjamin, and too long for a dress coat or spencer1826, The Atheneum, volume 18, page 236:
How the young man from Cambridge sulkily put his five great-coats in front; but was reconciled when little Miss Sharp was made to quit the carriage, and mount up beside him—when he covered her up in one of his Benjamins, and became perfectly good-humoured—1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC: