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American Dictionary of the English Language

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Drone


DRONE, noun [G., to tinkle, to shake, to tingle.]

1. The male of the honey bee. It is smaller than the queen bee, but larger than the working bee. The drones make no honey, but after living a few weeks, they are killed or driven from the hive. Hence,

2. An idler; a sluggard; one who earns nothing by industry.

3. A humming or low sound, or the instrument of humming.

4. The largest tube of the bag-pipe, which emits a continued deep note.

DRONE, verb intransitive

1. To live in idleness; as a droning king.

2. To give a low, heavy, dull sound; as the cymbals droning sound.