Definitions for: Drone


[n] stingless male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen
[n] a pipe of the bagpipe that is tuned to produce a single continuous tone
[n] an aircraft without a pilot that is operated by remote control
[n] an unchanging intonation
[n] someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
[v] talk in a monotonous voice
[v] make a monotonous low dull sound



Webster (1913) Definition: 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.

Synonyms: bourdon, dawdler, drone on, drone pipe, droning, laggard, lagger, monotone, pilotless aircraft, radio-controlled aircraft, trailer

See Also: bagpipe, bee, bum, do-nothing, go, heavier-than-air craft, idler, intonation, layabout, lingerer, loafer, loiterer, modulation, mouth, pipe, pipes, pitch contour, plodder, potterer, putterer, slowcoach, slowpoke, sound, speak, stick-in-the-mud, straggler, strayer, tabor pipe, talk, utter, verbalise, verbalize

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