5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Bee  \Bee\, 
  p.  p.  of  {Be};  --  used  for  been  [Obs.]  --Spenser. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Bee  \Bee\  (b[=e]),  n.  [AS.  be['o];  akin  to  D.  bij  and  bije, 
  Icel.  b?,  Sw  &  Dan.  bi  OHG.  pini,  G.  biene  and  perh.  Ir 
  beach,  Lith.  bitis,  Skr.  bha.  [root]97.] 
  1.  (Zo["o]l.)  An  insect  of  the  order  {Hymenoptera},  and 
  family  {Apid[ae]}  (the  honeybees),  or  family 
  {Andrenid[ae]}  (the  solitary  bees.)  See  {Honeybee}. 
 
  Note:  There  are  many  genera  and  species.  The  common  honeybee 
  ({Apis  mellifica})  lives  in  swarms,  each  of  which  has 
  its  own  queen,  its  males  or  drones,  and  its  very 
  numerous  workers,  which  are  barren  females.  Besides  the 
  {A.  mellifica}  there  are  other  species  and  varieties  of 
  honeybees,  as  the  {A.  ligustica}  of  Spain  and  Italy; 
  the  {A.  Indica}  of  India;  the  {A.  fasciata}  of  Egypt. 
  The  {bumblebee}  is  a  species  of  {Bombus}.  The  tropical 
  honeybees  belong  mostly  to  {Melipoma}  and  {Trigona}. 
 
  2.  A  neighborly  gathering  of  people  who  engage  in  united 
  labor  for  the  benefit  of  an  individual  or  family;  as  a 
  quilting  bee;  a  husking  bee;  a  raising  bee.  [U.  S.] 
 
  The  cellar  .  .  .  was  dug  by  a  bee  in  a  single  day 
  --S.  G. 
  Goodrich. 
 
  3.  pl  [Prob.  fr  AS  be['a]h  ring,  fr  b?gan  to  bend.  See 
  1st  {Bow}.]  (Naut.)  Pieces  of  hard  wood  bolted  to  the 
  sides  of  the  bowsprit,  to  reeve  the  fore-topmast  stays 
  through  --  called  also  {bee  blocks}. 
 
  {Bee  beetle}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  beetle  ({Trichodes  apiarius}) 
  parasitic  in  beehives. 
 
  {Bee  bird}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  bird  that  eats  the  honeybee,  as  the 
  European  flycatcher,  and  the  American  kingbird. 
 
  {Bee  flower}  (Bot.),  an  orchidaceous  plant  of  the  genus 
  {Ophrys}  ({O.  apifera}),  whose  flowers  have  some 
  resemblance  to  bees,  flies,  and  other  insects. 
 
  {Bee  fly}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  two  winged  fly  of  the  family 
  {Bombyliid[ae]}.  Some  species,  in  the  larval  state,  are 
  parasitic  upon  bees. 
 
  {Bee  garden},  a  garden  or  inclosure  to  set  beehives  in  an 
  apiary.  --Mortimer. 
 
  {Bee  glue},  a  soft,  unctuous  matter,  with  which  bees  cement 
  the  combs  to  the  hives,  and  close  up  the  cells;  --  called 
  also  {propolis}. 
 
  {Bee  hawk}  (Zo["o]l.),  the  honey  buzzard. 
 
  {Bee  killer}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  large  two-winged  fly  of  the  family 
  {Asilid[ae]}  (esp.  {Trupanea  apivora})  which  feeds  upon 
  the  honeybee.  See  {Robber  fly}. 
 
  {Bee  louse}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  minute,  wingless,  dipterous  insect 
  ({Braula  c[ae]ca})  parasitic  on  hive  bees. 
 
  {Bee  martin}  (Zo["o]l.),  the  kingbird  ({Tyrannus 
  Carolinensis})  which  occasionally  feeds  on  bees. 
 
  {Bee  moth}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  moth  ({Galleria  cereana})  whose 
  larv[ae]  feed  on  honeycomb,  occasioning  great  damage  in 
  beehives. 
 
  {Bee  wolf}  (Zo["o]l.),  the  larva  of  the  bee  beetle.  See 
  Illust.  of  {Bee  beetle}. 
 
  {To  have  a  bee  in  the  head}  or  {in  the  bonnet}. 
  a  To  be  choleric.  [Obs.] 
  b  To  be  restless  or  uneasy.  --B.  Jonson 
  c  To  be  full  of  fancies;  to  be  a  little  crazy.  ``She's 
  whiles  crack-brained,  and  has  a  bee  in  her  head.'' 
  --Sir  W.  Scott. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  bee 
  n  1:  any  of  numerous  hairy-bodied  insects  including  social  and 
  solitary  species 
  2:  a  social  gathering  to  carry  out  some  communal  task  or  to 
  hold  competitions 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Bee,  NE  (village,  FIPS  3600) 
  Location:  41.00692  N,  97.05768  W 
  Population  (1990):  209  (79  housing  units) 
  Area:  0.6  sq  km  (land),  0.0  sq  km  (water) 
  Zip  code(s):  68314 
  Bee,  VA 
  Zip  code(s):  24217 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Bee 
  First  mentioned  in  Deut.  1:44.  Swarms  of  bees,  and  the  danger  of 
  their  attacks,  are  mentioned  in  Ps  118:12.  Samson  found  a 
  "swarm  of  bees"  in  the  carcass  of  a  lion  he  had  slain  (Judg. 
  14:8).  Wild  bees  are  described  as  laying  up  honey  in  woods  and 
  in  clefts  of  rocks  (Deut.  32:13;  Ps  81:16).  In  Isa.  7:18  the 
  fly"  and  the  bee"  are  personifications  of  the  Egyptians  and 
  Assyrians,  the  inveterate  enemies  of  Israel. 
 

browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
or search   thesauri dictionary search words