An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Imme

by Friedrich Kluge

Imme, f., ‘bee,’ from MidHG. imbe (later imme), m., OHG. imbi, ‘swarm of bees’ (hence a collective term; the meaning ‘bee’ first occurs in late MidHG.). In OHG. records imbi bîanô denotes ‘swarm of bees’; comp. AS. geogoð, ‘a youthful band,’ with E. youth (see Bursche, Frauenzimmer, Stute), Yet it is questionable whether imbi has ever signified ‘swarm, herd’ (generally). Its direct connection with Biene (root bī̆) is certainly dubious; it is more probably related to Gr. ἐμπίς, ‘mosquito, gnat.’