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Henry74 Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

Spelling bee

Hi,

I've often wondered, what do bees have to do with spelling? Is "bee" meant as the flying, yellow-striped animal or as the pronunciation of the letter B? Is "spelling" an adjective, and the spellers are the bees maybe because, as students, they buzz around all day? Or is "spelling" a verb, something like "[they are] spelling [their] Bs"?
I don't know, I'm just throwing out whatever comes to mind.
Can you help me elucidate this?

Thank you
H.
  

Top answer

This "bee" is apparently unrelated to the insect. At the link below it is given a separate etymology: "C18: perhaps from dialect bean neighbourly help, from Old English ben boon". In the phrase "spelling bee", "spelling" functions as a noun.

— GPY

  • This "bee" is apparently unrelated to the insect.
  • At the link below it is given a separate etymology: "C18: perhaps from dialect bean neighbourly help, from Old English ben boon".
  • In the phrase "spelling bee", "spelling" functions as a noun.
  • com/dictionary/english/bee
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3 Answers
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This "bee" is apparently unrelated to the insect. At the link below it is given a separate etymology: "C18: perhaps from dialect bean neighbourly help, from Old English ben boon". In the phrase "spelling bee", "spelling" functions as a noun.

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dicti
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...As in 'quilting bee'.
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The word "bee" has the defined meaning of a gathering of people, as in husking bee and quilting bee. So "spelling bee" is a natural consequence of the definition. As for the origin of the word "bee," in this sense of a gathering, this is unknown. But it might very well have come from the image of a gathering of busy people resembling a bunch of busy honey bees.
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