colmena
/kolˈmena/
The Spanish word for "bee hive" is colmena.
The term refers to the structure where a colony of bees lives and stores honey.
How do you pronounce it?
/kolˈmena/
Did you know?
- The word colmena is actually related to the word 'straw', as it stems from the Proto-Celtic word *kolmos meaning 'straw'.
- The term colmena is not just a Latin derivative but likely stems from Hispano-Celtic roots, a remnant of the ancient languages spoken in the Iberian Peninsula.
- In Spanish, you can call a crowded office or a busy workshop a colmena to describe a place where everyone is working hard together.
Examples in context
- El apicultor revisó la colmena de abejas en busca de miel y polen.The beekeeper inspected the bee hive for honey and pollen.
- Mira, ahí está la colmenita con todas las abejas trabajadoras.Look, there's the little bee hive with all the worker bees.
- Mi abuelo tiene un pequeño panalcito en su jardín. Las abejas ayudan a polinizar sus plantas.My grandfather has a small bee hive in his garden. The bees help pollinate his plants.
- La colmena está en el árbol.The beehive is in the tree.
- Vimos una colmena muy grande.We saw a very large beehive.
- Hay una colmena cerca del río.There is a beehive near the river.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are walking through a forest.
- LucíaMira, ¡hay una colmena allí!Look, there is a beehive over there!
- Daniel¡Qué miedo! No te acerques, Lucía.How scary! Don't go near it, Lucía.
- LucíaTienes razón, es peligrosa esa colmena.You are right, that beehive is dangerous.
- DanielMejor caminemos por otro camino.It is better if we walk another way.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry colmena, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries colmena, CC BY-SA 4.0.
