Definition

1. Noun:
   • A domed beehive made of twisted straw: A traditional, often inverted basket-like structure used for housing a colony of honey bees.
   • A large round wicker basket: A sizable basket, typically with a round shape, woven from wicker or straw, used historically on farms for carrying goods like grain, wool, or produce.

Usage Examples

• As a beehive:
  • The beekeeper placed a new swarm into the straw skep.
  • Traditional skeps were common before the invention of modern wooden hives.
• As a basket:
  • The farmer carried potatoes from the field in a large wicker skep.
  • She filled the skep with freshly sheared wool.

Advanced Usage

• The term skep is primarily used in historical, agricultural, or apicultural (beekeeping) contexts. It is not commonly used for modern baskets or beehives.
• "Skep beekeeping" refers to the traditional practice of keeping bees in skeps, which differs significantly from contemporary methods as the hive is often destroyed to harvest honey.

Variants and Related Words

• Skepful (n.): The amount that a skep can hold.
  • They harvested a skepful of apples from the orchard.

Synonyms

• For the beehive meaning: straw hive, bee basket.
• For the basket meaning: wicker basket, hamper, pannier.

Related Idioms or Phrases

• While there are no common idioms using the word skep, it may appear in descriptive phrases about traditional farming or beekeeping life, such as "living by the skep and plough."

Noun

1. a domed beehive made of twisted straw
2. a large round wicker basket (used on farms)