bedye, bedie

t. [Eng. prefix be; dye.] To dye, to tinge or stain with colour. "And Briton fields with Sarazin blood bedyde." Spenser: F. Q., L. xi. 7. bě-dyed, * bě-dy'de, * bě-dī'de ( Eng .), *bě-dy'-ít (0. Scotch ), pa . par . & a. [BEDYE.] "Your air is first into the Secil se Bedyit weil and benedit oft mon be." Doug.: Virgil, 81, & bě-dy-ing, pr . par . [BEDYE.] * bě-dym'n (n silent), v.t. [BEDIM.] bēe (1) [pl. bēeş (0. Eng .), * bēese, * bēş ( Wycliffe ), * be'-iş, * been], s. [A.S. beo , bi ; Sw. bi ; Icel. by Dan. bie ; Dut. bij ; (N. H.) Ger. biene; M. H. Ger. bie , bin ; O. Н. Ger. pia ; Gael. & Ir. beach ; Sp. abeja ; Fr. abeille; Port. abelha; Ital. ape , peochia ; Lat. apis ; Lith. bitte ; Lett. bette .] I. Literally : 1. Spec. The well-known insect half domesticated for honey-making in hives. It is the Apis mellific a , Linn., and is still found wild or escaped from man's control in Ru ia, in portions of Asia, in Italy, and in France. Bees are social insects. Their societies consist of three cla es neuters, females, and males. The first named are abortive females, and doall the work of the society; they are armed with a sting, and their larvæ, if treated with specially rich food, IMG:content-1185.png:[blocks in formation] can develop into perfect females. The solitary female in the hive is popularly called a queen; she is fecundated in the air, and then deposits her eggs in hexagonal combs which the workers have prepared for the purpose. The eggs are hatched into maggot-like larvæ, which are fed on a mixture of wax and honey, are then shut by the workers into the cell, which they enclose with a lining, and finally emerge as perfect insects. A single female will produce in a year from 12,000 to 20,000 bees, of which all but about 3,000 die at the approach of winter. The males are called drones. A well peopled hive will contain from 200 to 800 of them. Being destitute of a sting, they have not the power of defending themselves, and after their appropriate function has been performed, they are remorsele ly put to death by the workers. When bees become too numerous in a hive, a fresh queen is nurtured, under whose auspices they swarm. "And bees in hives as idly wait The call of early Spring.' Cowper: To the Rev. Mr. Newton. 2. Gen.: Any insect of a similar structure to the hive-bee, as the Humble Bees, the Carpenter Bees, the Mason Bees, solitary bees in general. In the same sense the plural bees is the technical English name for the section of the Hymenopterous order An tho phil a (q.v.). II. Figuratively: 1. A busy person. ( Colloquial.) 2. An a emblage of persons for a specific purpose, as to unite their efforts for a charitable object, or to carry on a contest with each other in spelling, some similar intellectual or other exercise. Spelling Bees cro ed the Atlantic, and became for a time quite the rage in Britain during the latter part of 1875 and in 1876. After a time, however, their popularity ceased. During the latter part of their sojourn in that country, Definition Bees were attempted as a relief to the monotony of perpetual spelling. (a) To hae a bee in one's bonnet: To be harebrained; (b) to be giddy [BEE-HEADIT.] (b) In the bees: In a state of confusion. ( Jamie son .)