hum

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌm

Etymology

From Old English hommen "make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment," later (medieval English) hummen "to buzz, drone" (c.1420); akin to (medieval and modern) Dutch hommel 'humblebee', medieval German hummen 'to hum', probably ultimately of imitative origin

Noun

hum (plural hums)

1. A hummed tune, i.e. created orally with lips closed.
2. An often indistinct sound resembling human humming.

   They could hear a hum coming from the kitchen, and found the washing machine on.

3. Busy activity, like a beehive's buzz
4. (UK, slang) unpleasant odour.

Translations

tune created orally with lips closed

Arabic: همهمة (ar) Bosnian: pjevušenje (bs) Dutch: gebrom n., geneurie n.

Finnish: hyminä (fi), hyrinä (fi) Portuguese: cantarolar (pt) Russian: жужжание (ru) (žužžánije) n.

indistinct sound resembling human humming

Dutch: gebrom n. Finnish: hyminä (fi), hurina (fi), surina (fi), hyrinä (fi), pörinä (fi), porina (fi)

Italian: ronzio (it) m. Russian: жужжание (ru) (žužžánije) n.

busy activity

Finnish: hyörinä (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Hebrew: המיה (he) (hemyah) f.

Verb

hum (third-person singular simple present hums, present participle humming, simple past and past participle hummed)

1. (intransitive) To make a sound from the vocal chords without pronouncing any real words, with one's lips closed.

   We are humming happily along with the music.

2. (transitive) To express of affect by humming

   The hazers ominously hummed "We shall overcome" while they paddled the unruly pledges

3. (intransitive) To drone like certain insects naturally do in motion, or sounding similarly
   • 1922, Virginia Woolf, Jacob's Room Chapter 2

     A slight gloom fell upon the table. Jacob was helping himself to jam; the postman was talking to Rebecca in the kitchen; there was a bee humming at the yellow flower which nodded at the open window.

4. (intransitive) To buzz, be busily active like a beehive

   'The streets were humming with activity.

5. (intransitive) To produce a low sounds which blend continuously
6. (UK) To reek, smell bad.

   This room really hums — have you ever tried spring cleaning, mate?

7. (UK) To deceive, or impose on one by some story or device.

Derived terms

• hummer
• hummingbird
• humming-top

Related terms

• humblebee

Synonyms

• bumble
• bustle
• hustle
• buzz
• croon
• whir

Translations

to make sound with lips closed

Arabic: همهم (ar) Bosnian: pjevušiti (bs) Czech: broukat si (cs) Dutch: neuriën, brommen Esperanto: zumi (eo)

Finnish: hymistä (fi) French: fredonner (fr) Polish: nucić (pl) Romanian: fredona (ro) Russian: жужжать (ru) (žužžat')

to drone like certain insects naturally do in motion

Czech: bzučet (cs)

Dutch: zoemen, brommen (depending on the species' precise sound)

Anagrams

• MUH

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Dutch

Etymology 1

jocular abbreviation of humeur (cfr.)

Noun

hum n. (plural hummen, diminutive hummetje)

1. (good) mood

Etymology 2

onomatopoeia

Alternative forms

• h'm

Interjection

hum!

1. uttering to attract attention, without literal meaning

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Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA: /xûːm/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *chъlmъ.

Noun

hȗm m. (Cyrillic spelling ху̑м)

1. hillock
2. barrow, tumulus (mound of earth raised over a grave)

Synonyms

• glavica
• brežuljak

Etymology 2

Unknown provenance.

Noun

hum f. (Cyrillic spelling хум)

1. (obsolete) arrogance

Synonyms

• oholost