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bee

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Translingual

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Symbol

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bee

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Byangsi.

See also

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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    BERJAYA
    A bee

    From Middle English be, bee, beo, bey, from Old English bēo, bīo (bee), from Proto-West Germanic *bijā, from Proto-Germanic *bijǭ (bee), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰey- (bee).

    Noun

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    bee (plural bees or (dialectal) been)

    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.
      • 1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Courte:
        His face was belymmed as byes had him stounge [].
      • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. [], London: [] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
        An angry Wasp th'one in a viall had, / Th'other in hers an hony-laden Bee.
      • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes [], book II, London: [] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount [], →OCLC:
        Can there be a more formall, and better ordered policie, divided into so severall charges and offices, more constantly entertained, and better maintained, than that of Bees?
      • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 17:
        Ariell: / Where the Bee ſucks, there ſuck I, / In a Cowslips bell, I lie, / There I cowch when Owles doe crie, / On the Batts backe I doe flie / after Sommer merrily. / Merrily, merrily, ſhall I liue now / Vnder the bloſſom that hangs on the Bow.
      • 1657, Samuel Purchas, “The Excellency of Bees”, in A Theatre of Politicall Flying-Insects. [], London: [] R. I. for Thomas Parkhurst, [], →OCLC, page 1:
        Bees are the moſt excellent of all Inſects vvhatſoever, and expreſſe both vvorth and vvonder in all their vvaies: []
      • 1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “chapter 12”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. [], →OCLC:
        He stood across in the other garden, beside a bush of pale Michaelmas daisies, watching the last bees crawl into the hive.
      • 2012 March 31, “Subtle poison”, in The Economist:
        Bees pollinate many of the world’s crops—a service estimated to be worth $15 billion a year in America alone.
      • 2025 January 28, Jack Guy, “Tiny QR codes help scientists track bee movements”, in CNN[3], archived from the original on 8 March 2025:
        New insights into bee movements and life cycles have been uncovered after researchers tracked the insects using tiny QR codes glued onto their backs. [] “This suggests that most of the foraging that the bees do occurs very close to the hive,” study co-author Margarita López-Uribe, an associate professor of entomology at PSU, told CNN on Monday.
    2. (informal, proscribed) Any stinging flying insect, especially a wasp.
    Synonyms
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    Hypernyms
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    Derived terms
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    Descendants
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    • Tok Pisin: bi
    Translations
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    See also
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    Etymology 2

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    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),[1][2] from Old English bēn (prayer, request, petition, favour, compulsory service), from Proto-West Germanic *bōni, 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

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    bee (plural bees)

    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.
      • 1856, Samuel Griswold Goodrich, Recollections of a Lifetime:
        The cellar [] was dug by a bee in a single day.
      • 1973, Alan Skeoch, Tony H. Smith, Canadians and their society, page 139:
        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.
      • 2011 September 21, Tim Blanning, “The reinvention of the night”, in Times Literary Supplement:
        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.
    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

    Etymology 3

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    From Middle English bie, from Old English bēah, bēag, from Proto-West Germanic *baug, from Proto-Germanic *baugaz. Doublet of beag, a learned borrowing; and of bagel.

    Noun

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    bee (plural bees)

    1. (obsolete) A ring or torque; a bracelet.
      • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Caxton, Book 7, Chapter xxxv:
        And kyng Arthur gaf her a ryche bee of gold and soo she departed
      • 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, Urne-Burial, Penguin, published 2005, page 16:
        ...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...

    Etymology 4

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    To be cleaned up A user suggests that this English entry be cleaned up, giving the reason: “Example is not a use of the past participle.”
    Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup(+) or the talk page for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with.

    Variant spellings.

    Verb

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    bee

    1. Obsolete spelling of be.
      • 1604, Reverend Cawdrey, Table Aleph:
        held that a ‘Nicholaitan is an heretike, like Nicholas, who held that wiues should bee common to all alike.’
    2. (obsolete) past participle of be; been

    Etymology 5

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

    Noun

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    bee (plural bees)

    1. The name of the Latin script letter B/b.
      • 2004, Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, page 170:
        "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.
    Derived terms
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    Descendants
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    Translations
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    See also

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    Etymology 6

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

    Noun

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    bee (plural bees)

    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.
    Synonyms
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    References

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    1. ^ Archived copy”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[1], 4 March 2012 (last accessed), archived from the original on 16 June 2012
    2. ^ http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bee%5B3%5D

    Anagrams

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    Afar

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    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /ˈbeː/ [ˈbeː]
    • Hyphenation: bee

    Verb

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    bée (autobenefactive beeté)

    1. (transitive) to take
    2. (transitive) to take away
    3. (transitive, + l-case) to overcome
    4. (transitive, + l-case) to be angry with

    Conjugation

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        Conjugation of bee (type II verb)
    1st singular 2nd singular 3rd singular 1st plural 2nd plural 3rd plural
    m f
    perfective V-affirmative béeh beytéh béeh beytéh beynéh beyteeníh beeníh
    N-affirmative bée beyté bée beyté beyné beytén béen
    negative mábeyinniyo mábeyinnito mábeyinna mábeyinna mábeyinnino mábeyinniton mábeyinnon
    imperfective V-affirmative beyáh beytáh beyáh beytáh beynáh beytaanáh beyaanáh
    N-affirmative beyá beytá beyá beytá beyná beytán beyán
    negative mábeya mábeyta mábeya mábeyta mábeyna mábeytan mábeyan
    prospective V-affirmative béeliyoh
    béeyyoh
    béelitoh
    béettoh
    béeleh béeleh béelinoh
    béennoh
    béelitoonuh
    béettoonuh
    béeloonuh
    N-affirmative béeliyo
    béeyyo
    béelito
    béetto
    béele béele béelino
    béenno
    béeliton
    béetton
    béelon
    conjunctive I V-affirmative béyuh béyuh béyuh béyuh béyuh beytóonuh beyóonuh
    N-affirmative béyu béyu béyu béyu béyu beytón beyón
    negative bée wáyuh bée wáytuh bée wáyuh bée wáytuh bée wáynuh bée waytóonuh bée wóonuh
    conjunctive II V-affirmative beyánkeh beytánkeh beyánkeh beytánkeh beynánkeh beytaanánkeh beyaanánkeh
    N-affirmative beyánke beytánke beyánke beytánke beynánke beytaanánke beyaanánke
    negative bée wáankeh bée waytánkeh bée wáankeh bée waytánkeh bée waynánkeh bée waytaanánkeh bée wáankeh
    jussive affirmative béyay béyay béyay béyay béyay beytóonay beyóonay
    negative bée wáay bée wáytay bée wáay bée wáytay bée wáynay bée waytóonay bée wóonay
    past
    conditional
    affirmative beyinniyóy beyinnitóy beyinnáy beyinnáy beyinninóy beyinnitoonúy beyinnoonúy
    negative bée wanniyóy bée wannitóy bée wannáy bée wannáy bée wanninóy bée wannitoonúy bée wanninoonúy
    present
    conditional I
    affirmative béek beyték béek beyték beynék beyteeník beeník
    negative bée wéek bée wayték bée wéek bée wayték bée waynék bée wayteeník bée weeník
    singular plural singular plural
    consultative affirmative beyóo beynóo imperative affirmative béy béya
    negative mabeyóo mabeynóo negative mábeyin mábeyina
    -h converb -i form -k converb -in(n)uh converb -innuk converb infinitive indefinite participle
    V-focus N-focus
    béyah béyi béyak beyínnuh beyínnuk beyíyya beyináanih beyináan
    Compound tenses
    dependent verb sequential perfective + -m
    simultaneous imperfective + -m
    past perfect affirmative perfective + perfective of én or sugé
    present perfect affirmative perfective + imperfective of én
    future perfect affirmative perfective + prospective of sugé
    past progressive -k converb + imperfective of én or sugé
    present progressive affirmative imperfect + imperfective of én
    future progressive -k converb + prospective of sugé
    immediate future affirmative conjunctive I + imperfective of wée
    imperfect potential I affirmative conjunctive I + imperfective of takké
    imperfect
    potential II
    affirmative imperfective + -m + takké
    negative bée + imperfective of wée + -m + takké
    perfect
    potential
    affirmative perfective + -m + takké
    negative bée + perfective of wée + -m + takké
    present
    conditional II
    affirmative imperfective + object pronoun + tekkék
    negative bée + perfective of wée + object pronoun + tekkék
    perfect
    conditional
    affirmative perfective + imperfective of sugé + -k
    negative perfective + sugé + imperfective of wée -k
    irrealis bée + perfective of xaaxé or raaré

    References

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    • E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985), “bee”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
    • Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015), L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)[4], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

    Äiwoo

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    Verb

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    bee

    1. (intransitive) to grow

    References

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    Aukan

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    Etymology

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      From English belly.

      Noun

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      bee

      1. belly, stomach
      2. uterus, womb
      3. pregnancy
      4. lineage, family line

      References

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      Dumbea

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      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      bee

      1. fish

      References

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      Estonian

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      Noun

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      bee (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])

      1. The name of the Latin script letter B/b.

      Finnish

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      Etymology

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      From Latin .

      Pronunciation

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      • IPA(key): /ˈbeː/, [ˈbe̞ː]
      • Rhymes: -eː
      • Syllabification(key): bee
      • Hyphenation(key): bee

      Noun

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      bee

      1. The name of the Latin script letter B/b, called bee in English.

      Usage notes

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      • Speakers often use the corresponding forms of b-kirjain (letter B, letter b) instead of inflecting this word, especially in plural.

      Declension

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      Inflection of bee (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)
      nominative bee beet
      genitive been beiden
      beitten
      partitive beetä beitä
      illative beehen beihin
      singular plural
      nominative bee beet
      accusative nom. bee beet
      gen. been
      genitive been beiden
      beitten
      partitive beetä beitä
      inessive beessä beissä
      elative beestä beistä
      illative beehen beihin
      adessive beellä beillä
      ablative beeltä beiltä
      allative beelle beille
      essive beenä beinä
      translative beeksi beiksi
      abessive beettä beittä
      instructive bein
      comitative See the possessive forms below.
      Possessive forms of bee (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)
      first-person singular possessor
      singular plural
      nominative beeni beeni
      accusative nom. beeni beeni
      gen. beeni
      genitive beeni beideni
      beitteni
      partitive beetäni beitäni
      inessive beessäni beissäni
      elative beestäni beistäni
      illative beeheni beihini
      adessive beelläni beilläni
      ablative beeltäni beiltäni
      allative beelleni beilleni
      essive beenäni beinäni
      translative beekseni beikseni
      abessive beettäni beittäni
      instructive
      comitative beineni
      second-person singular possessor
      singular plural
      nominative beesi beesi
      accusative nom. beesi beesi
      gen. beesi
      genitive beesi beidesi
      beittesi
      partitive beetäsi beitäsi
      inessive beessäsi beissäsi
      elative beestäsi beistäsi
      illative beehesi beihisi
      adessive beelläsi beilläsi
      ablative beeltäsi beiltäsi
      allative beellesi beillesi
      essive beenäsi beinäsi
      translative beeksesi beiksesi
      abessive beettäsi beittäsi
      instructive
      comitative beinesi
      first-person plural possessor
      singular plural
      nominative beemme beemme
      accusative nom. beemme beemme
      gen. beemme
      genitive beemme beidemme
      beittemme
      partitive beetämme beitämme
      inessive beessämme beissämme
      elative beestämme beistämme
      illative beehemme beihimme
      adessive beellämme beillämme
      ablative beeltämme beiltämme
      allative beellemme beillemme
      essive beenämme beinämme
      translative beeksemme beiksemme
      abessive beettämme beittämme
      instructive
      comitative beinemme
      second-person plural possessor
      singular plural
      nominative beenne beenne
      accusative nom. beenne beenne
      gen. beenne
      genitive beenne beidenne
      beittenne
      partitive beetänne beitänne
      inessive beessänne beissänne
      elative beestänne beistänne
      illative beehenne beihinne
      adessive beellänne beillänne
      ablative beeltänne beiltänne
      allative beellenne beillenne
      essive beenänne beinänne
      translative beeksenne beiksenne
      abessive beettänne beittänne
      instructive
      comitative beinenne

      Synonyms

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      Fula

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      Alternative forms

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      Etymology

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      (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.).

      Particle

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      bee (Pular)

      1. it must, it is necessary that
        iggey yimbe bee bonnii taariinde nde no feewi.
        (please add an English translation of this usage example)

      Dialectal variants

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      See also

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      References

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      Hadza

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      Pronunciation

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      Pronoun

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      bee f pl (masc. bami, masc. plural bii, fem. bôko)

      1. they (fem. or mixed gender)
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      Hungarian

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      Etymology

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      An onomatopoeia.

      Pronunciation

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      • IPA(key): [ˈbɛɛ]
      • Hyphenation: bee
      • Rhymes:

      Interjection

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      bee

      1. baa (sound of a sheep)
      2. (childish) a word expressing bragging and mockery between children

      See also

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      Further reading

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      • bee in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2026).

      Latin

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      Alternative forms

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      Etymology

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      Of imitative origin.

      Interjection

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      bee

      1. baa (sound of a sheep)
        • 116 BCE – 27 BCE, Marcus Terentius Varro, Rerum rusticarum 2.1.7, (The spelling "be" is also read in this passage[1]):
          ...vox earum non me, sed bee sonare videtur...
          ...their bleating seems to give the sound "baa" and not "maa"...

      References

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      1. ^ Heinrich Keil, editor (1884), M. Terenti Varronis Rervm rvsticarvm libri tres, volume 1, Leipzig: Teubner, page 136

      Further reading

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      • bee”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
      • bee”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

      Mandinka

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      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      bee

      1. (anatomy) vagina

      Manx

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      Pronunciation

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      Etymology 1

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      From Old Irish bíad (food). Cognate with Irish bia and Scottish Gaelic biadh.

      Noun

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      bee m (plural beeghyn)

      1. food, provisions, nourishment

      Etymology 2

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      Verb

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      bee

      1. inflection of ve:
        1. future
        2. second-person singular imperative

      Mutation

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      Mutation of bee
      radical lenition eclipsis
      bee vee mee

      Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Manx.
      All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

      Middle English

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      Noun

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      bee

      1. alternative form of be (bee)
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      Pronunciation

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      Postposition

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      bee

      1. with, by means of, by means of it

      Inflection

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      Forms of bee
      singular duoplural
      1st person shee nihee
      2nd person nee nihee
      3rd person bee
      4th person (3o) yee
      4th person (3a) hee
      4th person (3i) ee
      reflexive ádee
      reciprocal ahee

      Derived terms

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      Old Irish

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      Verb

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      bee

      1. second-person singular present subjunctive absolute of at·tá

      Romanian

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      Interjection

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      bee

      1. obsolete form of behehe

      References

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      • bee in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN

      San Juan Guelavía Zapotec

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      Noun

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      bee

      1. ant

      References

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      • López Antonio, Joaquín; Jones, Ted; Jones, Kris (2012), Vocabulario breve del Zapoteco de San Juan Guelavía[5] (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Tlalpan, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., pages 13, 25

      Saterland Frisian

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      Etymology

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      From Old Frisian bēthe, from Proto-Germanic *bai (both) + *sa (the). Cognates include West Frisian beide and German beide.

      Pronunciation

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      Determiner

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      bee

      1. both

      Pronoun

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      bee

      1. both

      Usage notes

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      • When used pronominally referring to two people (rather than objects or animals), the plural beeën is used.

      References

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      • Marron C. Fort (2015), “bee”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

      Swahili

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      Pronunciation

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      Interjection

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      bee

      1. alternative form of abee

      Tetum

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      BERJAYA
      bee

      Alternative forms

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      Etymology

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      From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

      Noun

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      bee

      1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

      Võro

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      Noun

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      bee (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])

      1. The name of the Latin script letter B/b.

      Inflection

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      This noun needs an inflection-table template.

      Yola

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      Etymology 1

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      From Middle English by, from Old English bi, from Proto-West Germanic *bī. Cognates include English by and Scots by.

      Alternative forms

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      Pronunciation

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      Preposition

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      bee

      1. by[1]

      Etymology 2

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      Verb

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      bee

      1. alternative form of ba (to be)
        • 1927, “ZONG OF TWI MAARKEET MOANS”, in THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD, page 129, lines 15[2]:
          Maa bee haghed i more caar an angish than Ich."
          May be upset in more care and hardship than I."
        • 1927, “ZONG O DHREE YOLA MYTHENS”, in THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD, page 131, lines 13[2]:
          Wu canna gow bee chapaal gaat,
          We cannot go to the chapel gate
      2. alternative form of ba (are)
        • 1927, “ZONG O DHREE YOLA MYTHENS”, in THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD, page 131, lines 1[2]:
          Haar wee bee dhree yola mydes,
          Here we are three old maids,
      3. alternative form of ba (was)
        • 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 114, lines 21-23[1]:
          Ye pace——yea, we mai zei, ye vaste pace whilke bee ee-stent owr ye londe zince th'ast ee-cam,
          The peace——yes, we may say the profound peace—which overspreads the land since your arrival,

      References

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      1. 1.0 1.1 Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 25
      2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kathleen A. Browne (1927), “THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD.”, in Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of lreland (Sixth Series)‎[2], volume 17, number 2, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland