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Glite Dictionary
leaf-cutter bee

leaf-cutter bee

6.5
A bee that cuts pieces from leaves to make its nest
  • noun
translation icon : abeja cortadora de hojas
  • Did you see a leaf-cutter bee in the garden?

Examples

  • Gardeners sometimes notice smooth, circular cuts in foliage made by a leaf-cutter bee.

  • A leaf-cutter bee was busy collecting pieces of rose leaves for its nest.

  • Unlike honeybees, the leaf-cutter bee builds nests with carefully cut leaf fragments.

  • The leaf-cutter bee is known for its unique nesting behavior.

  • The leaf-cutter bee cuts small pieces from leaves to build its nest.

  • You can often find leaf-cutter bees collecting leaf fragments in gardens and parks.

  • The leaf-cutter bee uses the cut pieces of leaves to create a protective lining in its nest.

Synonyms

leaf-cutter
vsleaf-cutter bee
1 7.3

A small bee that cuts pieces of leaves to line its nest

cuts pieces from leaves or flowers for construction or lining of nest
leaf-cutting bee
vsleaf-cutter bee
6.8

A bee that cuts small pieces from leaves or flowers to build its nest

cuts leaf or flower pieces for construction or lining without shape detail

Surface Forms

leaf-cutter bee singular
leaf-cutter bees plural

Morphology

leaf-cutter + bee

The compound transparently combines 'leaf' + 'cutter' + 'bee' to denote a bee that cuts pieces of leaves, so the overall meaning is directly inferable from the constituents. This compositional noun-compound pattern is common and likely recognizable to a B1 learner who knows the component words.

Etymology

Leaf-cutter bee comes from the bee's habit of cutting small pieces from leaves or flowers to build or line its 'nest'. So the parts leaf and cutter are literal: the bee really cuts leaves, and the name tells what it does.