humming

5 definitions found

humming - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Humming \Hum"ming\, a.
     Emitting a murmuring sound; droning; murmuring; buzzing.
     [1913 Webster]

  Humming \Hum"ming\, n.
     A sound like that made by bees; a low, murmuring sound; a
     hum.
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     Hummingale, lively or strong ale. --Dryden.
  
     Humming-bird moth (Zool.), a hawk moth. See Hawk moth,
        under Hawk, the bird.
        [1913 Webster] hummingbird

  Hum \Hum\ (h[u^]m), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Hummed; p. pr. & vb.
     n. Humming.] [Of imitative origin; cf. G. hummen, D.
     hommelen. [root]15.]
     1. To make a low, prolonged sound, like that of a bee in
        flight; to drone; to murmur; to buzz; as, a top hums. --P.
        Fletcher.
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              Still humming on, their drowsy course they keep.
                                                    --Pope.
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     2. To make a nasal sound, like that of the letter m
        prolonged, without opening the mouth, or articulating; to
        mumble in monotonous undertone; to drone.
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              The cloudy messenger turns me his back,
              And hums.                             --Shak.
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     3. [Cf. Hum, interj.] To make an inarticulate sound, like
        h'm, through the nose in the process of speaking, from
        embarrassment or a affectation; to hem.
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     4. To express satisfaction by a humming noise.
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              Here the spectators hummed.           --Trial of the
                                                    Regicides.
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     Note: Formerly the habit of audiences was to express
           gratification by humming and displeasure by hissing.
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     5. To have the sensation of a humming noise; as, my head
        hums, -- a pathological condition.
        [1913 Webster]

humming - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  humming
      n 1: a humming noise; "the hum of distant traffic" [syn: hum,
           humming]
      2: the act of singing with closed lips

humming - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  44 Moby Thesaurus words for "humming":
     bel canto, birring, bombilation, bombinating, bombination, booming,
     bravura, burring, busy, buzzing, choral singing, coloratura, croon,
     crooning, droning, folk singing, fussy, hopping, hum, hustling,
     intonation, lively, low rumbling, lyricism, operatic singing,
     popping, purring, scat, scat singing, singing, sol-fa,
     sol-fa exercise, solfeggio, solmization, song, thrumming,
     tonic sol-fa, vocal music, vocalization, warbling, whirring,
     whizzing, yodel, yodeling