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View synonyms for bee
bee
1[ bee ]
noun
- any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, including social and solitary species of several families, as the bumblebee, honeybee, etc.
- the common honeybee, Apis mellifera.
- a community social gathering in order to perform some task, engage in a contest, etc.:
a sewing bee;
a spelling bee;
a husking bee.
bee
2[ bee ]
noun
- Also called bee block. Nautical. a piece of hardwood, bolted to the side of a bowsprit, through which to reeve stays.
- Obsolete. a metal ring or bracelet.
B.E.E.
3abbreviation for
- Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.
BEE
1abbreviation for
- Black Economic Empowerment: a government policy aimed at encouraging and supporting shareholding by black people
bee
2/ biː /
noun
- busy beea person who is industrious or has many things to do
- have a bee in one's bonnetto be preoccupied or obsessed with an idea
bee
3/ biː /
noun
- nautical a small sheave with one cheek removed and the pulley and other cheek fastened flat to a boom or another spar, used for reeving outhauls or stays
bee
4/ biː /
noun
- a social gathering for a specific purpose, as to carry out a communal task or hold competitions
quilting bee
- See spelling bee
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Other Words From
- beelike adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of bee1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English be(e); Old English bīo, bēo; cognate with Dutch bij, Old Saxon bī, bini, Old High German bīa, bini ( German Biene ), Old Norse bȳ; with other suffixes, Lithuanian bìtė, Old Prussian bitte, Old Church Slavonic bĭchela, Old Irish bech; the unattested bhi- is a North European stem with the same distribution as wax 1, apple; put the bee on is probably an allusion to sting in sense “dupe, cheat”
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Word History and Origins
Origin of bee1
Old English bīo ; related to Old Norse bӯ , Old High German bīa , Dutch bij , Swedish bi
Origin of bee2
Old English bēag ; related to Old High German boug ring, Old Norse bogi a bow
Origin of bee3
C18: perhaps from dialect bean neighbourly help, from Old English bēn boon
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Idioms and Phrases
Idioms
- have a bee in one's bonnet,
- to be obsessed with one idea.
- to have eccentric or fanciful ideas or schemes:
Our aunt obviously has a bee in her bonnet, but we're very fond of her.
- put the bee on, Informal: Older Use. to try to obtain money from, as for a loan or donation:
My brother just put the bee on me for another $10.
- the bee's knees, Older Slang. (especially in the 1920s) a person or thing that is wonderful, great, or marvelous:
Her new roadster is simply the bee's knees.
More idioms and phrases containing bee
In addition to the idiom beginning with bee , also see birds and the bees ; busy as a beaver (bee) ; make a beeline for ; none of one's business (beeswax) .Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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