queen bee
English
Etymology
From queen + bee. Compare Middle English kyng of been (“queen bee”, literally “king of bees”).
Noun
queen bee (plural queen bees)
- A reproductive female (especially the only one) in a colony of bees.
- 1947, AI Root, The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, Kessinger 2005, p. 205:
- It is generally believed that the queen bee mates only once in her lifetime.
- 1947, AI Root, The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, Kessinger 2005, p. 205:
- (idiomatic, colloquial, derogatory) The most important or dominant woman in an organisation or situation.
- 2003, Jim Hatfield, Extra Marital Temptations, iUniverse 2003, p. 28:
- She muttered to her mother, “There's that obnoxious redhead who thought she was the Queen Bee last year when she was a senior!”
- 2003, Jim Hatfield, Extra Marital Temptations, iUniverse 2003, p. 28:
- (metaphoric) Stem cell
Synonyms
- beemother
Translations
reproductive female bee
|
|