You see, it's a bit more complicated. I already chased it as far as the Oxford English Dictionary goes -- to the dead end. I don't know anyone who can wax eloquently in Dutch, but there's this:
Bij, noun. bee,
Bij, preposition. by, with, among, near, about, at, upon, on, to, in of.
Bijeen, adverb. together
Bijeenkomen, verb. to assemble, to meet, come together.
So, the question is, which came first? Bij or bijeen? Obviously, there is a plausible connection. But, are bees called that because they are assembled in a group, or is a group called that because they are like bees? We need a Dutch speaker here!
Piet van der Borst
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