drone

Definitions

1. 1.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.
2. 2.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.
3. 3.A humming or deep murmuring sound. The monotonous drone of the wheel. Longfellow.
4. 4.(Mus.) A monotonous bass, as in a pastoral composition.
5. 5.To utter or make a low, dull, monotonous, humming or murmuring sound. Where the beetle wheels his droning flight. T. Gray.
6. 6.To love in idleness; to do nothing. "Race of droning kings." Dryden.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Related questions

• What does "drone" mean?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is drone.

• What is 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 called?
• What is a humming or deep murmuring sound. The monotonous drone of the wheel. Longfellow called?
• What is a monotonous bass, as in a pastoral composition called?
• What is to utter or make a low, dull, monotonous, humming or murmuring sound. Where the beetle wheels his droning flight. T. Gray called?
• What is to love in idleness; to do nothing. "Race of droning kings." Dryden called?