mother-hive en · NOUN
Meanings
-
the principal or source hive of a colony of bees
A mother-hive of bees is 24 pence in value.
1909, Arthur Wade-Evans, Welsh Medieval Law:
-
(idiomatic) a location similarly serving as the source of a group of people
[John Whitman] came over in the True Love in 1640 to America and lived in Weymouth, Mass., which place became the mother-hive of the New Englanders of the name.
1882, Walt Whitman, Specimen Days:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| mother hive | alternative | lexicographic | |
| mother-hives | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (1)
de Leibbiene (Translations)