bishy barnabee

noun

A ladybird.

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Meanings

nounbishy barnabee (plural bishy barnabees)

plural bishy barnabees

  1. NorfolkUKarchaicdialectalA ladybird.

    “Bishies...bishy barnabees, them's called hereabouts. Some say the name is ladybird, but them's more likely to be eaten by a bird.”

    2010, Clodagh Chapman, Very Curious and Capricious Agent, page 14
    1 more example

    On finding a ladybird, a girl would place it on the back of her hand and gently blow it away after reciting the rhyme: Bishy, bishy Barnabee Tell me when my wedding will be, […]

    2009, Sylvia Kent, Folklore of Essex

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
ladybird

Origin

Thought to be from Bishop Barnaby.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bishy barnabee. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bishy%20barnabee

MLA

“bishy barnabee.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bishy%20barnabee. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bishy barnabee,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bishy%20barnabee.

Source: bishy barnabee on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.