skep
Americannoun
-
a round farm basket of wicker or wood.
-
Also the amount contained in a skep.
-
a beehive, especially of straw.
noun
-
a beehive, esp one constructed of straw
-
dialect a large basket of wickerwork or straw
Etymology
Origin of skep
before 1100; Middle English skeppe, late Old English sceppe < Old Norse skeppa half-bushel; akin to German Scheffel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It looks like a vintage bee skep made of wood for Godzilla-sized bees, but the experience inside is completely surprising.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2021
Naturally — as naturally as the bees leave the skep when smoked out — death threatens to break the bond between father and mother, husband and wife.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2020
But even to hard-bitten skep tics, the beginning was promising.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
Examining the doctrines, the skep tic has been apt to find myths far stronger than reality.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
He raised the iron rail which protected the hole, and again stepped into the skep, followed by Joe, lanthorn in hand, and with the candle-box slung from his shoulder.
From Sappers and Miners The Flood beneath the Sea by Hurst, Hal
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.