bourdon

[boor-dn, bawr-, bohr-]

noun Music.

the drone pipe of a bagpipe.

the drone string of a stringed instrument.

a low-pitched tone; bass.

a pipe organ stop of very low pitch.

the bell in a carillon having the lowest pitch.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French; see burden²

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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World English Dictionary

bourdon (ˈbʊəd^ən, ˈbɔːd^ən)

—n
1.	a 16-foot organ stop of the stopped diapason type
2.	the drone of a bagpipe
3.	a drone or pedal point in the bass of a harmonized melody

[C14: from Old French: drone (of a musical instrument), of imitative origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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