hive

views updated May 23 2018

hive / hīv/ • n. a beehive. ∎  the bees in a hive. ∎  a thing that has the domed shape of a beehive. ∎ fig. a place in which people are busily occupied: the kitchen became a hive of activity.• v. [tr.] place (bees) in a hive. ∎  [intr.] (of bees) enter a hive.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

hive

views updated Jun 11 2018

hive An artificial nest provided by bee-keepers for honey-bees (Apis mellifera in the West and in Africa; A. cerana in parts of Asia) and for some stingless bees (Melipona species) in South America.

A Dictionary of Ecology MICHAEL ALLABY

hive

views updated May 09 2018

hive Artificial nest provided by beekeepers for honey-bees (Apis mellifera in the West and in Africa; A. cerana in parts of Asia), and for some stingless bees (Melipona species) in S. America.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

hive

views updated May 23 2018

hive a beehive; the bees in a hive. The expression hive something off, meaning separate something from a larger group or organization, derives originally from the idea of moving off in a swarm, like bees separating from their original group.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

hive

views updated Jun 11 2018

hive OE. hȳf, f. χūf-, whence also ON. húfr ship's hull; cf. L. cūpa barrel, Gr. kúepē, Skr. kúpa- hole.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

Hive

views updated May 17 2018

Hive

a beehive; an extremely busy place.

Examples: hive of bees, 1583; of Roman liars, 1864; of mankind, 1839; of oysters, 1882.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms

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