Drone - Definitions from Dictionary.com

16 results for: Drone

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

drone1

–noun

1.	the male of the honeybee and other bees, stingless and making no honey.

2.	a remote control mechanism, as a radio-controlled airplane or boat.

3.	a person who lives on the labor of others; parasitic loafer.

a drudge.

[Origin: bef. 1000; 1945–50 for def. 2; ME drone, drane, OE dran, dron; akin to OHG treno, G Drohne

]

—Related forms

dronish, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Drone

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

drone2

Audio Help [drohn] Pronunciation Key verb, droned, dron·ing, noun

–verb (used without object)

1.	to make a dull, continued, low, monotonous sound; hum; buzz.

2.	to speak in a monotonous tone.

3.	to proceed in a dull, monotonous manner (usually fol. by on): The meeting droned on for hours.

–verb (used with object)

4.	to say in a dull, monotonous tone.

–noun

Music.

a.	a continuous low tone produced by the bass pipes or bass strings of musical instruments.

b.	the pipes (esp. of the bagpipe) or strings producing this tone.

c.	a bagpipe equipped with such pipes.

6.	a monotonous low tone; humming or buzzing sound.

7.	a person who speaks in a monotonous tone.

[Origin: 1490–1500; see drone¹ and cf. ME droun to roar, Icel drynja to bellow, Goth drunjus noise

]

—Related forms

droner, noun

dron·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

drone¹ Audio Help (drōn) Pronunciation Key
n.

A male bee, especially a honeybee, that is characteristically stingless, performs no work, and produces no honey. Its only function is to mate with the queen bee.
An idle person who lives off others; a loafer.
A person who does tedious or menial work; a drudge: "undervalued drones who labored in obscurity" (Caroline Bates).
A pilotless aircraft operated by remote control.

[Middle English, from Old English drān.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

drone² Audio Help   (drōn) Pronunciation Key
v.   droned, dron·ing, drones

v.   intr.

To make a continuous low dull humming sound: "Somewhere an electric fan droned without end" (William Styron).
To speak in a monotonous tone: The lecturer droned on for hours.
To pass or act in a monotonous way.

v. tr.
To utter in a monotonous low tone: "The mosquitoes droned their angry chant" (W. Somerset Maugham).

n.

A continuous low humming or buzzing sound.
Music
1. Any of the pipes of a bagpipe that lack finger holes and produce a single tone.
2. A long sustained tone.
3. Any of various instruments that produce only a constant pitch.

[From drone¹ (from the bee's humming sound).]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
drone (n.)

O.E. dran, dræn "male honeybee," from P.Gmc. *dran-, probably imitative; given a figurative sense of "idler, lazy worker" (male bees make no honey) c.1529; the verb in the sound sense is c.1500, apparently imitative. Meaning "pilotless aircraft" is from 1946.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

drone
noun
1.	stingless male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen
2.	an unchanging intonation [syn: monotone]
3.	someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind [syn: dawdler]
4.	an aircraft without a pilot that is operated by remote control
5.	a pipe of the bagpipe that is tuned to produce a single continuous tone
verb
1.	make a monotonous low dull sound; "The harmonium was droning on"
2.	talk in a monotonous voice

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
drone1 [drəun] noun

the male of the bee

Arabic:	ذَكَر النَّحِل
Chinese (Simplified):	雄蜂
Chinese (Traditional):	雄蜂
Czech:	trubec
Danish:	drone
Dutch:	hommel
Estonian:	leskmesilane, isamesilane
Finnish:	kuhnuri
French:	faux-bourdon
German:	die Drohne
Greek:	κηφήνας
Hungarian:	here (méh)
Icelandic:	karlbÿfluga
Indonesian:	lebah jantan
Italian:	fuco

Japanese:	雄蜂
Korean:	수펄
Latvian:	trans
Lithuanian:	tranas
Norwegian:	drone, hannbie
Polish:	truteń
Portuguese (Brazil):	zangão
Portuguese (Portugal):	zangão
Romanian:	trântor
Russian:	трутень
Slovak:	trúd
Slovenian:	trot
Spanish:	zángano
Swedish:	drönare
Turkish:	erkek arı

drone2 [drəun] noun

a person who is lazy and idle

Arabic:	شَخْص كَسول
Chinese (Simplified):	懒汉
Chinese (Traditional):	懶漢
Czech:	lenoch
Danish:	dagdriver
Dutch:	luilak
Estonian:	logard
Finnish:	kuhnuri
French:	fainéant, *-ante
German:	der Nichtstuer
Greek:	κηφήνας (μτφ.)
Hungarian:	semmittevő, here
Icelandic:	letingi, iðjuleysingi
Indonesian:	pemalas
Italian:	poltrone, fannullone

Japanese:	怠けもの
Korean:	게으름뱅이
Latvian:	liekēdis
Lithuanian:	tranas
Norwegian:	latsabb, døgenikt
Polish:	truteń, leniuch
Portuguese (Brazil):	malandro
Portuguese (Portugal):	malandro
Romanian:	trântor
Russian:	тунеядец
Slovak:	leňoch
Slovenian:	lenuh
Spanish:	zángano
Swedish:	drönare
Turkish:	tembel kimse, asalak

drone3 [drəun] noun

a deep, humming sound
Example: the distant drone of traffic

Arabic:	طَنين
Chinese (Simplified):	深沉的嗡嗡声
Chinese (Traditional):	深沈的嗡嗡聲
Czech:	hučení
Danish:	summen
Dutch:	geronk
Estonian:	sumin
Finnish:	hurina
French:	bourdonnement
German:	das Brummen
Greek:	βουητό
Hungarian:	döngés
Icelandic:	drunur; suð
Indonesian:	dengungan
Italian:	brusio

Japanese:	ブーンという音
Korean:	(윙윙거리는) 단조로운 저음
Latvian:	dūkšana; dūkoņa
Lithuanian:	gausmas, ūžesys
Norwegian:	summing, brumming
Polish:	brzęczenie
Portuguese (Brazil):	zumbido
Portuguese (Portugal):	zumbido
Romanian:	zumzet
Russian:	гул
Slovak:	hučanie
Slovenian:	brnenje
Spanish:	ruido, zumbido
Swedish:	surr, susande, brummande
Turkish:	vızıltı, uğultu

drone1 [drəun] verb

to make a low, humming sound
Example: An aeroplane droned overhead.

Arabic:	يَطِنُّ
Chinese (Simplified):	发出嗡嗡声
Chinese (Traditional):	發出嗡嗡聲
Czech:	vrčet, hučet
Danish:	brumme
Dutch:	ronken
Estonian:	sumisema, põrisema
Finnish:	hurista
French:	bourdonner
German:	brummen
Greek:	βουίζω
Hungarian:	zúg
Icelandic:	suða; drynja
Indonesian:	mendengung
Italian:	ronzare, fare brusio*

Japanese:	ブーンという音をたてる
Korean:	윙윙거리다
Latvian:	dūkt
Lithuanian:	gausti, ūžti
Norwegian:	summe, brumme
Polish:	buczeć
Portuguese (Brazil):	zumbir
Portuguese (Portugal):	zumbir
Romanian:	a zumzăi
Russian:	гудеть
Slovak:	hučať, bzučať
Slovenian:	brneti
Spanish:	zumbar
Swedish:	surra
Turkish:	vızıldamak, uğuldamak

drone2 [drəun] verb

to speak in a dull, boring voice
Example: The lecturer droned on and on.

Arabic:	يَتَكَلَّمُ بِصَوْتٍ مُمِل
Chinese (Simplified):	用单调沉闷的声音说话
Chinese (Traditional):	用單調沈悶的聲音說話
Czech:	mluvit monotónně
Danish:	tale monotont
Dutch:	dreunen
Estonian:	(monotoonselt) rääkima
Finnish:	jaaritella
French:	parler d'une voix endormante
German:	eintönig reden
Greek:	μιλώ μονότονα
Hungarian:	monoton hangon elmond
Icelandic:	tala tilbreytingarlaust
Indonesian:	mengoceh
Italian:	parlare in modo monotono*, borbottare

Japanese:	ものうげに言う
Korean:	단조롭고 따분한 목소리로 말하다
Latvian:	monotoni runāt
Lithuanian:	monotoniškai kalbėti, bambėti
Norwegian:	snakke monotont
Polish:	mówić monotonnym głosem
Portuguese (Brazil):	falar com voz monótona
Portuguese (Portugal):	desfiar uma cantilena
Romanian:	a bolborosi
Russian:	бубнить
Slovak:	monotónne hovoriť
Slovenian:	monotono govoriti
Spanish:	hablar en tono monótono
Swedish:	mumla, tala entonigt
Turkish:	monoton bir sesle konuşmak

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

drone Audio Help (drōn) Pronunciation Key
A male bee, especially a honeybee whose only function is to fertilize the queen. Drones have no stingers, do no work, and do not produce honey.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
drone

In military usage, a pilotless aircraft used for reconnaissance and, more recently, for launching aerial attacks.

[Chapter:] Technology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Drone

Drone\, n. [OE. drane a dronebee, AS. dr[=a]n; akin to OS. dr[=a]n, OHG. treno, G. drohne, Dan. drone, cf. Gr. ? a kind of wasp, dial. Gr. ? drone. Prob. named fr. the droning sound. See Drone, v. i.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) The male of bees, esp. of the honeybee. It gathers no honey. See Honeybee.

All with united force combine to drive The lazy drones from the laborious hive. --Dryden.

2. One who lives on the labors of others; a lazy, idle fellow; a sluggard.

By living as a drone,to be an unprofitable and unworthy member of so noble and learned a society. -- Burton.

3. That which gives out a grave or monotonous tone or dull sound; as: (a) A drum. [Obs.] Halliwell. (b) The part of the bagpipe containing the two lowest tubes, which always sound the key note and the fifth.

4. A humming or deep murmuring sound.

The monotonous drone of the wheel. --Longfellow.

5. (Mus.) A monotonous bass, as in a pastoral composition.