bee
Pluralbees
Pluralbees
- 1A flying insect that collects pollen from flowers. Some kinds make honey and wax.
Like a tiny delivery worker that flies from flower to flower carrying pollen.
A bee buzzed past my ear in the garden.
Bees carry pollen from one flower to another as they look for food.
UsageBusy as a bee means very busy.
Note
- 2A contest where people take turns answering, especially one for spelling words.
She practiced every night and won the class bee by spelling 'necessary' right.
Our school holds a math bee every spring for the fourth graders.
UsageSay a spelling bee.
Similarcontest, competition
Note
- 3A meeting where neighbors work together on a big job, like sewing or quilting.
The neighbors held a quilting bee and finished the blanket in one afternoon.
Everyone brought food to the bee, and the new barn went up in a single day.
UsageSay a quilting bee.
Note
- 4Any flying insect that stings, especially a wasp.
My little brother calls every wasp a bee.
A bee built a gray paper nest under our porch this summer.
Similarwasp
Note
Less common meanings
- 5The name of the letter B.
'Climb' ends with a silent bee.
The word 'bubble' has three bees in it.
Note
- 6Obsolete spelling of be: to exist, have a quality or identity, or be in a particular place.
held that a ‘Nicholaitan is an heretike, like Nicholas, who held that wiues should bee common to all alike.’
1604, Reverend Cawdrey, Table AlephHere, bee is an old spelling of be.Note
- 7A ring or metal band worn as jewelry on the finger, arm, or neck.
And kyng Arthur gaf her a ryche bee of gold and soo she departed
1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte DarthurHere, bee means a ring or bracelet worn as jewelry.Note
- 8A block of hard wood on the side of a ship's front pole, with holes for ropes to pass through.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
The word comes from Old English "bēo," meaning bee, and goes back to an ancient Proto-Indo-European root.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- English bee descends from Old English bēo. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English bēo means bee. en.wiktionary.org
- The word ultimately descends from a Proto-Indo-European root. en.wiktionary.org
This possibly comes from a dialect word "bene," meaning help given by neighbours, from Old English "bēn" (prayer, request).
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- Bee possibly derives from dialectal bene, meaning help given by neighbours. en.wiktionary.org
- Bene derives from Old English bēn, meaning prayer or request. en.wiktionary.org
This comes from Old English "bēah," through Middle English "bie."
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- Bee meaning a ring derives from Old English bēah through Middle English bie. en.wiktionary.org
An old way to write be, and sometimes been.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Bee is an obsolete spelling of be. en.wiktionary.org
- Bee was also used for been. en.wiktionary.org
Latin called the letter B be. Old English took this name from Latin, and our word comes from it.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Latin be was the name of the letter B. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English borrowed this letter-name from Latin. en.wiktionary.org
- Modern English bee, meaning the letter-name, derives from Old English be. en.wiktionary.org