bumblebee

or bum·ble bee

[ buhm-buhl-bee ]

noun

1. any of several large, hairy social bees bee of the family Apidae.

bumblebee

/ ˈbʌmbəlˌbiː /

noun

1. any large hairy social bee of the genus Bombus and related genera, of temperate regions: family Apidae

Word History and Origins

Origin of bumblebee¹

First recorded in 1520–30; bumble ² + bee ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bumblebee¹

C16: from bumble ² + bee ¹

Example Sentences

Without spoiling anything more, “Buzzkill” utilizes Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” as a memorable needle drop.

From Los Angeles Times

Also present: costumes for the “Halo” series, a full-scale Bumblebee from the “Transformers” films and mushrooms and an “egg mobile” from the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies.

From Los Angeles Times

Umwelt is a German term describing the perspective of an organism based on its sensory abilities, environment and anything else that contributes to its overall consciousness — the way fish must perceive water much differently than birds or how a bumblebee can see ultraviolet light but we can’t.

From Salon

Further research needs to be conducted to learn about how climate change impacts bumblebee populations on the community level, yet their research finds that the insects' loss "is having a significant, negative impact on many important pollinating insect species with unknown consequences for ecosystems, both natural and agricultural."

From Salon

"We document a substantial shift in the functional composition of bumblebee communities that is tied to a long-term increase of summer temperatures in North America," the authors write.

From Salon

Related Words

• ant
• aphid
• bee
• beetle
• butterfly
• cockroach
• dragonfly
• flea
• fruit fly
• gnat
• grasshopper
• ladybug
• mite
• mosquito
• moth
• pest
• spider
• termite
• tick