: a brownish resinous material of waxy consistency collected by bees from the buds of trees and used as a cement in repairing and maintaining the hive

Examples of propolis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Pure propolis and honey extracts, paired with hyaluronic acid, give this mask its soothing effects. Meg Donohue, Town & Country, 26 Jan. 2023 Bees have to invest effort in hunting down the resins that make up propolis, which like nectar is foraged from plants. Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2012

Word History

Etymology

Middle English propoleos, from Medieval Latin, alteration of Latin propolis, from Greek, from pro- for + polis city — more at pro-, police entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of propolis was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Propolis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propolis. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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