From Proto-Athabaskan *wən ~ bən. Related to the verbal root ben. Cognate also with Ahtna ben and, more distantly, with Navajo -BĮĮD (“to fill”).

benh

1. lake

benh

1. Verbal stem occurring in the following root, aspect, and mode combinations:

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Optative
Momentaneous	ben (water level moves)
Conclusive	ben (water level moves)	ben (water level moves)	ben (water level moves)	ben (water level moves)
Neuter	ben (water level moves)

• James Kari, Lower Tanana Athabaskan Listening and Writing Exercises (1991)
• Kari, James et al. (2024), Kari, James, editor, Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 72