propolis

P3R1O1P3O1L1I1S1
UK/ˈpɹɒ.pə.lɪs/US/ˈpɹɑ.pə.lɪs/

noun

An aromatic glue-like substance produced by honeybees from tree resin, waxes, and their own secretions, used in the construction of their hives.

Similar
bee gluesour honey
OriginLatin propolis ← Ancient Greek πρόπολις →
UncommonScrabble 12
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounpropolis (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAn aromatic glue-like substance produced by honeybees from tree resin, waxes, and their own secretions, used in the construction of their hives.

    Synonyms: bee glue, sour honey

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn aromatic glue-like substance produced by honeybees from tree resin, waxes, and their own secretions, used in the construction of their hives.

Similar
bee gluesour honey
Also see
sour honey

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπρο-“pro-”
  2. Ancient Greekπρόπολις“suburb; propolis”
  3. Latinpropolis
  4. Englishpropolis

From Latin propolis, from Hellenistic Ancient Greek πρόπολις (própolis, “suburb; propolis”) (apparently because the material was used by bees to extend their hives), from Ancient Greek προ- (pro-, “pro-”) + πόλις (pólis, “city”).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek πρόπολις
  • πρόπολις (própolis)glue-like substance
Arabic عُكْبُر, عِكْبَر
  • عُكْبُر (ʕukbur)glue-like substance
  • عِكْبَر (ʕikbar)glue-like substance
Catalan pròpoli
  • pròpoliglue-like substance
Chinese Mandarin 蜂膠 /蜂胶
  • 蜂膠 /蜂胶 (fēngjiāo)glue-like substance
Dutch propolis
  • propolisglue-like substance
Finnish kittivaha
  • kittivahaglue-like substance
French propolis
  • propolisglue-like substance
German Propolis
  • Propolisglue-like substance
Greek πρόπολη
  • πρόπολη (própoli)glue-like substance
Irish gliú beach
  • gliú beachglue-like substance
Italian propoli
  • propoliglue-like substance
Japanese プロポリス
  • プロポリス (puroporisu)glue-like substance
Korean 봉교, 프로폴리스
  • 봉교 (bonggyo)glue-like substance
  • 프로폴리스 (peuropolliseu)glue-like substance
Polish kit pszczeli, propolis
  • kit pszczeliglue-like substance
  • propolisglue-like substance
Portuguese própolis, própole
  • própolisglue-like substance
  • própoleglue-like substance
Russian пропо́лис
  • пропо́лис (propólis)glue-like substance
Spanish propóleos, propóleo
  • propóleosglue-like substance
  • propóleoglue-like substance
Vietnamese keo ong
  • keo ongglue-like substance
Cite this entry
APA

propolis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/propolis

MLA

“propolis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/propolis. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “propolis,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/propolis.

Source: propolis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.