bee

Etymology 1

From Middle English bee, from Old English bēo, from Proto-West Germanic *bijā, from Proto-Germanic *bijō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰey-.

noun

1. A flying insect, of the clade Anthophila within the hymenopteran superfamily Apoidea, known for its organised societies (though only a minority have them), for collecting pollen and (in some species) producing wax and honey.
   His face was belymmed as byes had him stounge[…]. 1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Courte
   Bees pollinate many of the world’s crops—a service estimated to be worth $15 billion a year in America alone. March 31 2012, “Subtle poison”, in The Economist

Etymology 2

Possibly from dialectal bene, been, bean (“help given by neighbours”), from Middle English been, bene (“neighbourly help, prayer, petition, request, extra service given by a tenant to his lord”), from Old English bēn (“prayer, request, petition, favour, compulsory service”), from Proto-Germanic *bōniz (“prayer, request, supplication”). Thus a variant of obsolete ben (“prayer; petition”) and doublet of boon. Cognate with Danish bøn (“prayer”), Dutch ban (“curse”), German Bann (“ban”). More at ban.

noun

1. A contest, especially for spelling; see spelling bee.
   geography bee
2. A community gathering to share labour, e.g. a sewing bee or a quilting bee.
   The cellar […] was dug by a bee in a single day. 1856, Samuel Griswold Goodrich, Recollections of a Lifetime
   There was but little variation in types of buildings in the pioneer period: house, church, store, barn and mill were usually much alike except in size, and a raising bee was the ordinary means of their erection. 1973, Alan Skeoch, Tony H. Smith, Canadians and their society, page 139
   Particularly resistant, for example, in many parts of northern Europe was the “spinning bee”, a nocturnal gathering of women to exchange gossip, stories, refreshment and – crucially – light and heat, as they spun wool or flax, knitted or sewed. 21 Sep 2011, Tim Blanning, “The reinvention of the night”, in Times Literary Supplement

Etymology 3

From Middle English beeȝ, bie, bei, begh, beiȝe, bege, beah, bye, from Old English bēah, bēag, from Proto-Germanic *baugaz. Doublet of beag, a learned borrowing.

noun

1. (obsolete) A ring or torque; a bracelet.
   And kyng Arthur gaf her a ryche bee of gold and soo she departed 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Caxton, Book 7, Chapter xxxv
   ...restoring unto the world much gold richly adorning his Sword, two hundred Rubies, many hundred Imperial Coynes, three hundred golden Bees, the bones and horseshoe of his horse enterred with him... 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, Urne-Burial, Penguin, published 2005, page 16

Etymology 4

Variant spellings.

verb

1. Obsolete spelling of be
   held that a ‘Nicholaitan is an heretike, like Nicholas, who held that wiues should bee common to all alike.’ 1604, Reverend Cawdrey, Table Aleph
2. (obsolete) past participle of be; been
   Cride out, Now now Sir knight, shew what ye bee,

Etymology 5

From Middle English [Term?], from Old English be, from Latin be (the name of the letter B).

noun

1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.
   "The ee-vee-ee-ar-en-oh-ee-ell-blank-bee-ell-oh-ess-ess-oh-em-blank-en-ee-cee-tee-ay-ar is especially dee-ee-ell-eye-cee-eye-oh-you-ess." Our friends thanked the spelling bee for his help and then he buzzed off. 2004, Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, page 170

Etymology 6

Probably from Old English bēah (“ring”). Compare bow.

noun

1. (nautical, usually in the plural) Any of the pieces of hard wood bolted to the sides of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore-topmast stays through.