queen bee
nounEtymology From queen + bee. Compare Middle English kyng of been (“queen bee”, literally “king of bees”).
1
A reproductive female (especially the only one) in a colony of bees.
- It is generally believed that the queen bee mates only once in her lifetime.1947, AI Root, The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, Kessinger, published 2005, page 205:
2
Colloquial, Derogatory, Idiomatic The most important or dominant woman in an organization or situation.
- She wrote very generously to aspiring women writers, gave them good advice, took time to read their manuscripts and comments, and warmly applauded their successes. There is not a hint of the Queen Bee in the attitude toward other women writers.1981 February 14, Peg Cruikshank, “The Warmth Shines Through”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 29, page 15:
- She muttered to her mother, “There's that obnoxious redhead who thought she was the Queen Bee last year when she was a senior!”2003, Jim Hatfield, Extra Marital Temptations, iUniverse, page 28:
3
Figuratively A stem cell.
- Derived terms
- queen bee syndrome