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).
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.
droneAudio 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.
n. Ignorant sales or customer service personnel in computer or electronics superstores. Characterized by a lack of even superficial knowledge about the products they sell, yet possessed of the conviction that they are more competent than their hacker customers. Usage: "That video board probably sucks, it was recommended by a drone at Fry's" In the year 2000, their natural habitats include Fry's Electronics, Best Buy, and CompUSA.
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.
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.
Drone\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Droned; p. pr. & vb. n. Droning.] [Cf. (for sense 1) D. dreunen, G. dr["o]hnen, Icel. drynja to roar, drynr a roaring, Sw. dr["o]na to bellow, drone, Dan. dr["o]ne, Goth. drunjus sound, Gr. ? dirge, ? to cry aloud, Skr. dhran to sound. Cf. Drone, n.]1. To utter or make a low, dull, monotonous, humming or murmuring sound. Where the beetle wheels his droning flight. --T. Gray. 2. To love in idleness; to do nothing. "Race of droning kings." --Dryden.
Drone\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Droned; p. pr. & vb. n. Droning.] [Cf. (for sense 1) D. dreunen, G. dr["o]hnen, Icel. drynja to roar, drynr a roaring, Sw. dr["o]na to bellow, drone, Dan. dr["o]ne, Goth. drunjus sound, Gr. ? dirge, ? to cry aloud, Skr. dhran to sound. Cf. Drone, n.]1. To utter or make a low, dull, monotonous, humming or murmuring sound. Where the beetle wheels his droning flight. --T. Gray. 2. To love in idleness; to do nothing. "Race of droning kings." --Dryden.
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Audio Help [drohn] Pronunciation Key 
