bee


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bee

an insect, as a bumblebee or honeybee; a community social gathering: a sewing bee; a spelling bee
Not to be confused with:
be – exist, live; take place; happen; to belong; attend: I’ll be at the concert.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

bee 1

 (bē)
n.
1. Any of numerous winged, hairy-bodied, usually stinging hymenopteran insects of the superfamily Apoidea, including both solitary species and social species such as the honeybees, and characterized by sucking and chewing mouthparts for gathering nectar and pollen.
2. A social gathering where people combine work, competition, and amusement: a quilting bee.
Idiom:
a bee in (one's) bonnet
1. An impulse to do something; a notion.
2. An obsession.

[Middle English, from Old English bēo; see bhei- in Indo-European roots. Sense 2, perhaps alteration of dialectal bean, voluntary help given to a farmer by his neighbors, from Middle English bene, extra service by a tenant to his lord, from Old English bēn, prayer; see bhā- in Indo-European roots.]

bee 2

 (bē)
n. Nautical
A bee block.

[Middle English be, a ring, from Old English bēag; see bheug- in Indo-European roots.]

bee 3

 (bē)
n.
The letter b.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bee

(biː)
n
1. (Animals) 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. busy bee a person who is industrious or has many things to do
3. have a bee in one's bonnet to be preoccupied or obsessed with an idea
[Old English bīo; related to Old Norse , Old High German bīa, Dutch bij, Swedish bi]

bee

(biː)
n
1. (Sociology) a social gathering for a specific purpose, as to carry out a communal task or hold competitions: quilting bee.
[C18: perhaps from dialect bean neighbourly help, from Old English bēn boon]

bee

(biː)
n
(Nautical Terms) 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
[Old English bēag; related to Old High German boug ring, Old Norse bogi a bow]

BEE

(in South Africa) abbreviation for
(Government, Politics & Diplomacy) Black Economic Empowerment: a government policy aimed at encouraging and supporting shareholding by Black people
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bee

art at bee moth
(bi)

n.
1. any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, including social and solitary species of several families, as the bumblebees and honeybees.
2. the common honeybee, Apis mellifera.
3. a social gathering in order to perform some task, engage in a contest, etc.: a quilting bee.
Idioms:
have a bee in one's bonnet,
a. to be obsessed with a single idea.
b. to be somewhat eccentric.
[before 1000; Middle English be(e); Old English bīo, bēo, c. Old Saxon bī, bini, Old High German bīa, bini, Old Norse ]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

bee

(bē)
Any of several winged, often stinging insects that have a hairy body and gather pollen and nectar from flowers. Most bees are solitary, but some bees, such as the honeybee, live in colonies with an organized social structure, consisting of workers, drones, and a queen. Bees are important pollinators of flowering plants. See also drone, queen, worker.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.bee - any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary speciesbee - any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
hymenopter, hymenopteran, hymenopteron, hymenopterous insect - insects having two pairs of membranous wings and an ovipositor specialized for stinging or piercing
drone - stingless male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen
Apis mellifera, honeybee - social bee often domesticated for the honey it produces
carpenter bee - large solitary bee that lays eggs in tunnels bored into wood or plant stems
bumblebee, humblebee - robust hairy social bee of temperate regions
cuckoo-bumblebee - a bee that is parasitic in the nests of bumblebees
andrena, andrenid, mining bee - a bee that is a member of the genus Andrena
alkali bee, Nomia melanderi - a common solitary bee important for pollinating alfalfa in the western United States
leaf-cutter, leaf-cutter bee, leaf-cutting bee - bee that cuts rounded pieces from leaves and flowers to line its nest
mason bee - any of numerous solitary bees that build nests of hardened mud and sand
potter bee - solitary bee that builds nests of mud or pebbles cemented together and attached to a plant
2.bee - a social gathering to carry out some communal task or to hold competitionsbee - a social gathering to carry out some communal task or to hold competitions
quilting bee - a gathering to make quilts
cornhusking, husking bee - a social gathering for the purpose of husking corn
social affair, social gathering - a gathering for the purpose of promoting fellowship
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

bee

noun
Related words
adjective apian
collective nouns swarm, grist
habitation hive, apiary
like apimania
see ants, bees and wasps
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

bee

noun
An impulsive, often illogical turn of mind:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مَكان التِقاء للعَمل أو الأستِمتاعنحلةنَحْلَةنَحْلَـه، نَحْـل
пчела
včelakroužek
bivelgørenhedsforening
abelo
mesilane
زنبور
mehiläinen
abeilleabeille à mielbeecorvée
मधुमक्खी
pčela
méh
lebahtawon
býflugabÿflugavinnufundur ; saumaklúbbur
ハチ
apis
bitėįsikalta mintismauti tiesiai priešaute šauti priesusiėjimas
bitesaietstalka
albină
spoločné posedenie pri prácivčela
čebela
pčelaпчела
bi
ผึ้ง
arıeğlenceli toplu çalışmaimece
бджола
شﮩد کی مکهی
con ong

bee

[biː]
A. N
1. (Zool) → abeja f
to have a bee in one's bonnet about sthtener algo metido entre ceja y ceja
he thinks he's the bee's kneesse cree la mar de listo or de elegante
2. (esp US) → círculo m social
see also spelling
B. CPD bee eater N (Orn) → abejaruco m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

bee

[ˈbiː] n
(= insect) → abeille f
to have a bee in one's bonnet [person] → avoir une idée en tête
to have a bee in one's bonnet about sth [person] → être obnubilé(e) par qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

bee

n
Biene f; like bees round a honeypotwie die Motten ums Licht; to have a bee in one’s bonnet (inf)einen Fimmel or Tick haben (inf); he’s got a bee in his bonnet about cleanliness (inf)er hat einen Sauberkeitsfimmel or -tick (inf)
(= sewing bee)Kränzchen nt; (= competition)Wettbewerb m

bee

:
beehive
n
Bienenstock m; (dome-shaped) → Bienenkorb m
(= hairstyle)toupierte Hochfrisur
adj bee hairdotoupierte Hochfrisur
beekeeper
nBienenzüchter(in) m(f), → Imker(in) m(f)
beeline
n to make a bee for somebody/somethingschnurstracks auf jdn/etw zugehen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

bee

1 [biː] n (Zool) → ape f
to have a bee in one's bonnet (about sth) → avere la fissazione (di qc)

bee

2 [biː] n (esp Am) spelling beegara di ortografia
to have a sewing bee → riunirsi per cucire
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

bee

(biː) noun
1. a four-winged insect that makes honey.
2. (especially American) a meeting for combined work and enjoyment. a knitting bee.
ˈbeehive noun
a box in which bees are kept, and where they store their honey.
ˈbeeswax (ˈbiːzwӕks) noun
the yellowish solid substance produced by bees for making their cells, and used in polishing wood.
a bee in one's bonnet
an idea which has become fixed in one's mind. She has a bee in her bonnet about going to America.
make a bee-line for
to take the most direct way to; to go immediately to. Fred always makes a bee-line for the prettiest girl at a party.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

bee

نَحْلَة včela bi Biene μέλισσα abeja mehiläinen abeille pčela ape ハチ bij bie pszczoła abelha пчела bi ผึ้ง arı con ong 蜜蜂
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

bee

n. abeja;
___ venomveneno de ___.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

bee

n abeja; Africanized — abeja africanizada; killer — abeja asesina
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
A young bee crawled up the greasy trampled alighting-board.
The feuds of White Plume, however, had not been confined to the red men; he had much to say of brushes with bee hunters, a class of offenders for whom he seemed to cherish a particular abhorrence.
Ferko again proceeded on his journey, but he hadn't gone far before a queen bee flew against him, trailing one wing behind her, which had been cruelly torn in two by a big bird.
And when bird, bee, and blossom were strong and fair again, the gentle Fairy said farewell, and flew away to seek her friend, leaving behind many grateful hearts, who owed their joy and life to her.
A BEE from Mount Hymettus, the queen of the hive, ascended to Olympus to present Jupiter some honey fresh from her combs.
itt bin that hur lashipp prevent mee; for to bee sur, Sir, you nose
I object to being required to model my proceedings according to the proceedings of the bee, or the dog, or the spider, or the camel.
"Not a bee. You would get us all into trouble, and we can't afford to have any more trouble than is necessary.
The bees circle round a queenless hive in the hot beams of the midday sun as gaily as around the living hives; from a distance it smells of honey like the others, and bees fly in and out in the same way.
At the time of the death of Mr Ira Nutcombe, the only all-the-year-round inhabitants were the butcher, the grocer, the chemist, the other customary fauna of villages, and Miss Elizabeth Boyd, who rented the ramshackle farm known locally as Flack's and eked out a precarious livelihood by keeping bees.
But the dwarf said, 'Let the poor things enjoy themselves, you shall not kill them.' Next they came to a bees'-nest in a hollow tree, and there was so much honey that it ran down the trunk; and the two brothers wanted to light a fire under the tree and kill the bees, so as to get their honey.
Forthwith there was heard a great buzzing in the air, and a swarm of black bees came flying toward her.