bee

¹

[bee]

noun

1. any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, including social and solitary species of several families, as the bumblebee, honeybee, etc.

2. the common honeybee, Apis mellifera.

3. 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

1. Also called bee block. Nautical.,  a piece of hardwood, bolted to the side of a bowsprit, through which to reeve stays.

2. Obsolete.,  a metal ring or bracelet.

B.E.E.

³

abbreviation

1. Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.

bee

¹

/ biː /

noun

1. any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea , which includes social forms such as the honeybee and solitary forms such as the carpenter bee See also bumblebee mason bee

2. a person who is industrious or has many things to do

3. to be preoccupied or obsessed with an idea

bee

²

/ biː /

noun

1. a social gathering for a specific purpose, as to carry out a communal task or hold competitions

   quilting bee

2. See spelling bee

BEE

³

abbreviation

1. Black Economic Empowerment: a government policy aimed at encouraging and supporting shareholding by black people

bee

⁴

/ biː /

noun

1. 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

Other Word Forms

• beelike adjective

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”

Origin of bee²

First recorded before 1050; Middle English bei, be, bih “ring,” Old English bēag, bēah, bēg; cognate with Old Frisian bāg, Old Saxon, Middle Low German bōg, Old High German boug, Old Norse baugr, Sanskrit bhoga-; akin to bow ¹

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

C18: perhaps from dialect bean neighbourly help, from Old English bēn boon

Origin of bee³

Old English bēag ; related to Old High German boug ring, Old Norse bogi a bow

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have a bee in one's bonnet,

   1. to be obsessed with one idea.

   2. to have eccentric or fanciful ideas or schemes.

      Our aunt obviously has a bee in her bonnet, but we're very fond of her.

2. the bee's knees, (especially in the 1920s) a person or thing that is wonderful, great, or marvelous.

   Her new roadster is simply the bee's knees.

3. put the bee on, to try to obtain money from, as for a loan or donation.

   My brother just put the bee on me for another $10.

More idioms and phrases containing bee

• birds and the bees
• busy as a beaver (bee)
• make a beeline for
• none of one's business (beeswax)

Example Sentences

The Tower Buzzers’ mascot, a bee called Maverick, is named after Cruise’s character.

From Los Angeles Times

This is because of the time it will take for the flowers that bees need to grow back again in surrounding fields.

From BBC

All I noticed at first was a kind of buzz around the person to my right, as if he were a freshly-bloomed flower assaulted by bees.

From Salon

The four Ghostbusters, for instance, bring distinct skills and backgrounds to the table, while the witches in “The Craft” each embody a different archetype of teenage girlhood, from outcast to queen bee.

From Salon

The trailing tentacles can deliver a painful sting, which Mr Pace says feels more like that of a bee than a nettle.

From BBC