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humming

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humming

 

  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Humming  \Hum"ming\,  a. 
  Emitting  a  murmuring  sound;  droning;  murmuring;  buzzing. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Humming  \Hum"ming\,  n. 
  A  sound  like  that  made  by  bees;  a  low  murmuring  sound;  a 
  hum. 
 
  {Hummingale},  lively  or  strong  ale.  --Dryden. 
 
  {Humming  bird}  (Zo["o]l.),  any  bird  of  the  family 
  {Trochilid[ae]},  of  which  over  one  hundred  genera  are 
  known  including  about  four  hundred  species.  They  are 
  found  only  in  America  and  are  most  abundant  in  the 
  tropics.  They  are  mostly  of  very  small  size,  and  are  not 
  for  their  very  brilliant  colors  and  peculiar  habit  of 
  hovering  about  flowers  while  vibrating  their  wings  very 
  rapidly  with  a  humming  noise.  They  feed  both  upon  the 
  nectar  of  flowers  and  upon  small  insects.  The  common 
  humming  bird  or  ruby-throat  of  the  Eastern  United  States 
  is  {Trochilus  culubris}.  Several  other  species  are  found 
  in  the  Western  United  States.  See  {Calliope},  and 
  {Ruby-throat}. 
 
  {Humming-bird  moth}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  hawk  moth.  See  {Hawk  moth}, 
  under  {Hawk},  the  bird. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Hum  \Hum\,  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. 
 
  Still  humming  on  their  drowsy  course  they  keep 
  --Pope. 
 
  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. 
 
  The  cloudy  messenger  turns  me  his  back  And  hums. 
  --Shak. 
 
  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. 
 
  4.  To  express  satisfaction  by  a  humming  noise. 
 
  Here  the  spectators  hummed.  --Trial  of  the 
  Regicides. 
 
  Note:  Formerly  the  habit  of  audiences  was  to  express 
  gratification  by  humming  and  displeasure  by  hissing. 
 
  5.  To  have  the  sensation  of  a  humming  noise;  as  my  head 
  hums,  --  a  pathological  condition. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  humming 
  n  1:  a  humming  noise;  "the  hum  of  distant  traffic"  [syn:  {hum}] 
  2:  the  act  of  singing  with  closed  lips




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