French word

ruche

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁyʃ/

Meaning

  • feminine nounhive

Example

Les abeilles rentrent à la ruche.

The bees return to the hive.

Illustration for ruche (hive)

More examples

Le voisin a installé une ruche en bois dans son jardin.

The neighbor installed a wooden beehive in his garden.

Core concept

A hive-like home that can be either a wild cavity or a box placed for bees.

Common phrases

  • la ruche

    the beehive

  • une ruche en bois

    a wooden beehive

  • une ruche d'abeilles

    a beehive

Similar words

nid: A nest built by a bird or insect to shelter its eggs or offspring.
colonie: A community of creatures living together in one nest or social group.

Definition in French

Lieu, naturel ou fabriqué, où des abeilles construisent des alvéoles pour stocker le miel et élever leurs larves.

Word origin

Ruche is an inherited Old French noun for a place where bees live, with no certain deeper origin needed to explain its modern meaning.

Usage tips

  • French also uses une ruche figuratively for a very busy place, so context distinguishes this sense from the literal one.

Related words

  • rucherapiarynoun
  • ruchettesmall hivenoun

Word lists with this word