An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Biene

by Friedrich Kluge

Biene, f., ‘bee,’ from the equiv. MidHG. bine, bin, f., OHG. bini, n.; bĭ is the proper root syllable, as is shown by OHG. bîa, Du. bij, AS. beó, E. bee, OSw. bî (OIc. býfluga); the n of the weak declension is retained in the deriv. OHG. bī̆ni; the form binni (from binja-), which we should have expected, is not recorded. Besides these there are OHG. and MidHG. forms with î, OHG. bîna, f., MidHG. bîn, f. (Austr. dial. Bein); they are related perhaps to MidHG. bĭn like Goth. sŭnus to Sans. sûnus, Goth. qĭwa to Sans. jîva-, &c.; comp. Sohn, Queck, laut, Schaufel. Lith. bitìs, Ir. bech, ‘bee,’ seem allied, though they have a different suffix. The word is based on a root bhī̆, ‘to be afraid,’ discussed under beben; hence Biene is perhaps ‘the trembler’?. Respecting Bienenbrot comp. Brot. Bienenkorb was an early remodelled form for OHG. binichar. Biensaug, n., a botanical term, lit. ‘a plant that the bee is fond of sucking.’