hum
pronunciation
How to pronounce hum in British English:
UK [hʌm]
How to pronounce hum in American English:
US [hʌm]
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- Noun:
- the state of being or appearing to be actively engaged in an activity
- a humming noise
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- Verb:
- sing with closed lips
- be noisy with activity
- sound with a monotonous hum
- make a low continuous sound
Word Origin
- hum (v.)
- late 14c., hommen "make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment," later hummen "to buzz, drone" (early 15c.), probably of imitative origin. Sense of "sing with closed lips" is first attested late 15c.; that of "be busy and active" is 1884, perhaps on analogy of a beehive. Related: Hummed; humming. Humming-bird (1630s) so called from sound made by the rapid vibration of its wings.There is a curious bird to see to, called a humming bird, no bigger then a great Beetle. [Thomas Morton, "New English Canaan," 1637]
- hum (n.)
- mid-15c., from hum (v.).
Example
- 1. The discordant hum of tourists below .
- 2. Waves from the deep ocean don 't seem to make much hum at all .
- 3. The hum of the heater system was also mum .
- 4. She does not like poetry , but she likes to hum pop songs .
- 5. Emerging economies such as china and brazil continue to hum .