skep

[ skep ]

noun

1. a round farm basket of wicker or wood.
2. Also the amount contained in a skep.
3. a beehive, especially of straw.

skep

/ skɛp /

noun

1. a beehive, esp one constructed of straw
2. dialect.
   a large basket of wickerwork or straw

Word History and Origins

Origin of skep¹

before 1100; Middle English skeppe, late Old English sceppe < Old Norse skeppa half-bushel; akin to German Scheffel

Word History and Origins

Origin of skep¹

Old English sceppe, from Old Norse skeppa bushel; related to Old High German sceffil bushel

Example Sentences

It looks like a vintage bee skep made of wood for Godzilla-sized bees, but the experience inside is completely surprising.

From Seattle Times

His mother, Agnes, is drawn most finely, out in the meadows checking her bee skeps, woven of hemp.

From Los Angeles Times

By the Middle Ages, bee-keepers were using skep hives - they're the classic woven beehives that look like a tapering stack of straw tyres.

From BBC

He embarks on a series of forays into past worlds: cutting hay, building a drystone wall, making a skep for beekeeping.

From New York Times

In medieval and pre-modern Europe hives were often kept in boles, or wall recesses that housed wicker and mud skeps that served as the hive.

From The Guardian