bee
1[ bee ]
/ bi /
noun
any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, including social and solitary species of several families, as the bumblebees, honeybees, 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.
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What Does The “Bee” In Spelling Bee Mean Exactly?As spellers from across the country and around the globe gather to take part in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, let’s try to settle a basic question: Where does the bee in “spelling bee” come from? Bee is derived from the Old English bēn meaning “a prayer, a favor.” By the late eighteenth century, bee had become commonly associated with the British dialect form, been or …
Nearby words
Idioms
Origin of bee
1before 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, OPruss bitte, OCS bĭchela, Old Irish bech; *bhi- is a North European stem with the same distribution as wax1, apple; put the bee on probably an allusion to sting in sense “dupe, cheat”
Related formsbee·like, adjective
Can be confusedbe bee
Definition for bee (2 of 3)
bee
2[ bee ]
/ bi /
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.
Origin of bee
2before 1050; Middle English beh ring, Old English bēag, bēah; cognate with Old Frisian bāg, Old Saxon, Middle Low German bōg, Old High German boug, Old Norse baugr, Sanskrit bhoga-; akin to bow1
Definition for bee (3 of 3)
B.E.E.
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for bee
British Dictionary definitions for bee (1 of 4)
bee
1/ (biː) /
noun
any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, which includes social forms such as the honeybee and solitary forms such as the carpenter beeSee also bumblebee, mason bee Related adjective: apian
busy bee a person who is industrious or has many things to do
have a bee in one's bonnet to be preoccupied or obsessed with an idea
Word Origin for bee
Old English bīo; related to Old Norse bӯ, Old High German bīa, Dutch bij, Swedish bi
British Dictionary definitions for bee (2 of 4)
bee
2/ (biː) /
noun
a social gathering for a specific purpose, as to carry out a communal task or hold competitionsquilting bee
See spelling bee
Word Origin for bee
C18: perhaps from dialect bean neighbourly help, from Old English bēn boon
British Dictionary definitions for bee (3 of 4)
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
Word Origin for bee
Old English bēag; related to Old High German boug ring, Old Norse bogi a bow
British Dictionary definitions for bee (4 of 4)
BEE
abbreviation for (in South Africa)
Black Economic Empowerment: a government policy aimed at encouraging and supporting shareholding by black people
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bee
bee
stinging insect, Old English beo "bee," from Proto-Germanic *bion (cf. 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 (e.g. 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with bee
bee
In addition to the idiom beginning with bee
- bee in one's bonnet
- been around
- been had
- been there, done that
- been to the wars
also see:
- birds and the bees
- busy as a beaver (bee)
- make a beeline for
- none of one's business (beeswax)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.