royal jelly

noun

1. a viscous substance secreted from the pharyngeal glands of worker honeybees, fed to all larvae during their first few days and afterward only to those larvae selected to be queens.

royal jelly

noun

1. a substance secreted by the pharyngeal glands of worker bees and fed to all larvae when very young and to larvae destined to become queens throughout their development

Word History and Origins

Origin of royal jelly¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

The grub when hatched is fed with the royal jelly, and a queen is produced.

From Project Gutenberg

Royal jelly: the food supplied to bee larva that develop into queens.

From Project Gutenberg

A great quantity of royal jelly is then prepared for feeding the larvæ destined to replace her.

From Project Gutenberg

A comparison of its elements with those of the royal jelly, may throw some light on subjects as yet involved in obscurity.

From Project Gutenberg

How puerile does all this sound to one who has seen and tasted the royal jelly!

From Project Gutenberg