Origins
The word 'bee' is one of the oldest and most stable words in the English language.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ It descends from Old English 'bΔo' (bee), from Proto-Germanic *bijΕ, from PIE *bΚ°ey- (bee). The word has barely changed in pronunciation over the past millennium β the Old English 'bΔo' would have sounded very close to the modern 'bee.'
The PIE root *bΚ°ey- is usually considered onomatopoeic β an imitation of the insect's characteristic buzzing hum. This is consistent with the tendency of many languages to name the bee by its sound. However, some etymologists have proposed a connection to PIE *bΚ°i- (to tremble, to fear, to quiver), which would make the bee 'the trembling one' or 'the one that makes you tremble' β a reference to the vibration of its wings or the fear of its sting. The onomatopoeic theory remains more widely accepted.
The Germanic cognates are regular: German 'Biene' (with a diminutive suffix), Dutch 'bij,' Old Norse 'bΓ½,' Old High German 'bΔ«a,' and Gothic (unattested but reconstructed as *bija). The word exists only in the Germanic branch; other Indo-European languages use unrelated words: Latin 'apis' (bee β source of 'apiary' and 'apiculture'), Greek 'mΓ©litta' or 'melissa' (bee, from 'meli,' honey), and Slavic *bΡΔela (bee, possibly from a buzzing root).
Latin Roots
The Latin word 'apis' (bee) gave English the technical vocabulary of beekeeping: 'apiary' (a place where bees are kept), 'apiculture' (beekeeping), and 'apian' (relating to bees). The Greek 'melissa' (bee, from 'meli,' honey) became a woman's name β Melissa β meaning 'honey-bee.' The name Deborah is the Hebrew equivalent, from 'devorah' (bee).
The cultural significance of bees in Indo-European civilization is enormous. Honey was the primary sweetener in Europe before the introduction of cane sugar, and mead (honey wine) was the oldest alcoholic beverage in the Germanic world. The Old English word for mead-hall, 'medu-heall,' appears in Beowulf. The Proto-Indo-European word for honey, *mΓ©lit, produced Latin 'mel' (honey), Greek 'mΓ©li' (honey), and the English words 'mellifluous' (flowing like honey), 'molasses' (from Latin 'mel' through Portuguese), and 'marmalade' (from Portuguese 'marmelo,' quince, ultimately from Greek 'melimΔlon,' honey-apple).
The 'spelling bee' β a competitive spelling contest β uses 'bee' in a different sense entirely. This 'bee' derives from dialectal English 'bee' or 'been,' meaning a community gathering for collaborative work: a 'quilting bee,' 'husking bee,' or 'raising bee' (barn-raising). This sense probably derives from Old English 'bΔn' (prayer, favor, request for communal help) rather than from the insect.