Humming

7 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

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

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



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

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Still humming on, their drowsy course they keep.
                                                    --Pope.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The cloudy messenger turns me his back,
              And hums.                             --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. To express satisfaction by a humming noise.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Here the spectators hummed.           --Trial of the
                                                    Regicides.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: Formerly the habit of audiences was to express
           gratification by humming and displeasure by hissing.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     5. To have the sensation of a humming noise; as, my head
        hums, -- a pathological condition.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  humming
       See {hum}

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  hum
       n 1: the state of being or appearing to be actively engaged in an
            activity; "they manifested all the busyness of a pack of
            beavers"; "there is a constant hum of military
            preparation" [syn: {busyness}]
       2: an Islamic fundamentalist group in Pakistan that fought the
          Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s; now operates as
          a terrorist organization primarily in Kashmir and seeks
          Kashmir's accession by Pakistan [syn: {Harkat-ul-Mujahidin},
           {Harkat ul-Ansar}, {HUA}, {Harkat ul-Mujahedeen}, {Al
          Faran}, {Movement of Holy Warriors}]
       3: a humming noise; "the hum of distant traffic" [syn: {humming}]
       v 1: sing with closed lips; "She hummed a melody"
       2: be noisy with activity; "This office is buzzing with
          activity" [syn: {buzz}, {seethe}]
       3: sound with a monotonous hum [syn: {thrum}]
       4: make a low continuous sound; "The refrigerator is humming"
       [also: {humming}, {hummed}]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

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

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  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