Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A resinous substance collected from the buds of certain trees by bees and used as a cement or sealant in the construction of their hives.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A red, resinous, odorous substance having some resemblance to wax and smelling like storax. It is collected by bees from the viscid buds of various trees, and used to stop the holes and crevices in their hives to prevent the entrance of cold air, to strengthen the cells, etc. Also called
bee-glue .
Wiktionary
- n. An aromatic glue-like substance produced by honeybees from tree resin, waxes, and their own secretions, used in the construction of their hives.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Same as Bee glue, under bee.
Etymologies
- From Latin propolis, from Hellenistic Ancient Greek πρόπολις ("suburb; propolis") (apparently because the material was used by bees to extend their hives), from Ancient Greek προ- ("pro-") + πόλις ("city"). (Wiktionary)
- Latin, from Greek, suburb, bee glue (from the fact that it was originally the name of a structure around the opening into the hive) : pro-, before; see pro-2 + polis, city; see pelə-3 in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“According to the Scottish nutritionist, propolis is necessary because "bees have no immune system".”
“But small spaces, they'll actually fill with a material called propolis, which is a resin they gather from tress, because they seal it.”
“Bees seal their hives with a sticky substance known as propolis or bee glue, which is collected from plants.”
“Others walk carefully all round the inside of the hive to see if there are any cracks in it; and if there are, they go off to the horse-chestnut trees, poplars, hollyhocks, or other plants which have sticky buds, and gather a kind of gum called "propolis," with which they cement the cracks and make them air-tight.”
“In this dilemma the ingenious little bees fetch the gummy "propolis" from the plant-buds and cement the intruder all over, thus embalming his body and preventing it from decaying.”
“In labeling and promotional materials, the company claimed bee byproducts such as propolis can cure or prevent diseases such as asthma, dermatitis, ulcers, cancer, kidney disease, bone fractures and insomnia.”
“There's been talk of fossil amber or propolis which is produced by bees.”
“Egyptian Magic:The ingredients are olive oil, bees wax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly and bee propolis.”
“Food-based nutrients that help support the skin include bee pollen and propolis, which prevent wrinkles; grapefruit, which improves the complexion; papaya and pineapple; essential fatty acid–containing foods such as fish, flax, and avocado oils, to help improve the visual appearance of the skin; and cucumber, carrot, cabbage, garlic, and ginger juice.”
“More than ever I was convinced that I was where I wanted to be, in a place where a good soul like Kekua knew propolis but not Sherlock Holmes, and as for books -- as Buddy used to say, "We don't read 'em, we just chew on the covers.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘propolis’.
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Some (More) Beekeeping Terms
Interesting words and phrases used by beekeepers.
Some of these appear in Palooka's list of beekeeping terms, and this list by Sionnach. Feel free to add your favorites!absconding swarm, worker comb, winter cluster, acarine disease, Bacillus larvae, afterswarm, wax moth, uniting, American foulbrood, bee bread, bee brush, bee blower and 99 more...
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AGRI - apiculture
acacia, alfalfa, Arbutus unedo, ash content, baker's honey, Banksia menziesii, bee plant, Bell heather, blackberry honey, blend of honeys, blossom honey, borage and 183 more...
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phrontistery - p
from phrontistery.info
pabouche, pabulous, pabulum, pacable, pace, pachydermia, pachyglossal, pachymeter, pachynsis, paciferous, pacificate, pactolian and 1766 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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Seccotine
Glue; sticky substances; stickiness.
seccotine, propolis, bee glue, slumgum, fish glue, isinglass, bone-glue, glaim, gluing-press, self-adhesive, cheese-cement, gluish and 22 more...
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It Has a Name??
Yes. Yes it does.
aglet, armsaye, scroop, rowel, ferrule, rasceta, chanking, philtrum, frenulum, keeper, agelast, punt and 285 more...
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je les adore!
fusillade, foal, celestial, abattoir, byzantium, berlin, casablanca, babylon, balkans, albion, avalon, between the devil... and 471 more...
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the catch-all
inveigle, frontier, invective, quizzical, merit, proficiency, eleemosynary, ham-handed, circumspect, epergne, cobble, industriousness and 201 more...
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fitting words
a list of words from the indo european root ar- and variations : to fit together
ambry, rede, coarctate, anarthrous, artiodactyl, exordium, harmony, army, armoire, arm, armada, armadillo and 349 more...
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I like : P
palladium, pallida mors, pantheon, parabola, parapraxis, pasqueflower, pawpaw, pear, pentacle, pentagram, penumbra, perhaps and 37 more...
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A hive for the honey bee
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone ...absconding swarm, afterswarm, alighting board, american foulbrood, apiary, apiculture, apis mellifera, bee blower, bee bread, bee brush, beehive, beeswax and 71 more...
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real ones i never knew until now
... what i've learned from wordie
brummagem, lede, gynotikolobomasso..., battology, cete, tigon, liger, beteem, albedo, zugunruhe, borborygmi, borborygmic and 6 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for propolis.
fbharjo bee's glue, not bee's wax Feb 11, 2007