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Benin, Bight of

A wide indentation of the Gulf of Guinea in western Africa.

Be·nin

(bə-nĭn, bĕ-nēn)

1. A former kingdom of western Africa, now part of Nigeria. It flourished from the 14th to the 17th century.

2. Formerly Da·ho·mey (də-hōmē, dä-ô-mā) A country of western Africa. Originally made up of several ancient kingdoms colonized by France in the 19th century, it became independent in 1960 and was renamed Benin in 1975. Porto-Novo is the capital and Cotonou the largest city.

3. also Benin City A city of southern Nigeria near the Benin River, about 160 km (100 mi) long. The city is known for its bronze works of art.

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Benin

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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