bee
pronunciation
How to pronounce bee in British English:
UK [biː]
How to pronounce bee in American English:
US [biː]
-
- Noun:
- any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
- a social gathering to carry out some communal task or to hold competitions
Word Origin
- bee
- bee: [OE] Old English bēo ‘bee’ came from a prehistoric West and North Germanic *bīōn, source also of German biene, Dutch bij, and Swedish bi, which may all be traceable back to an Indo-European base *bhi- ‘quiver’. This, if it is true, means that the bee was originally named as the ‘quivering’, or perhaps ‘humming’ insect. Latin fucus ‘drone’ appears to be related.
- bee (n.)
- stinging insect, Old English beo "bee," from Proto-Germanic *bion (cognates: Old Norse by, Old High German bia, Middle Dutch bie), possibly from PIE root *bhi- "quiver." Used metaphorically for "busy worker" since 1530s. Sense of "meeting of neighbors to unite their labor for the benefit of one of their number," 1769, American English, probably is from comparison to the social activity of the insect; this was extended to other senses (such as spelling bee, first attested 1809; Raising-bee (1814) for building construction; also hanging bee "a lynching"). To have a bee in (one's) bonnet (1825), said of one who is harebrained or has an intense new notion or fancy, is said in Jamieson to be Scottish, perhaps from earlier expressions such as head full of bees (1510s), denoting mad mental activity.
Example
- 1. Then you may not be too happy if bee populations plunge .
- 2. The image above is of the larva of a ground-nesting solitary bee from turkey .
- 3. A little bee saw them crying .
- 4. Bee rental now accounts for 15 % of paramount 's costs .
- 5. A marked bee fed itself from the dish and returned to the hive .