See also: Hum, húm, hùm, and HUM

English edit

 
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Etymology edit

From Middle English hummen (to hum, buzz, drone, make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment); akin to Dutch hommelen (to bumble, buzz), dialectal Dutch hommen (to buzz, hum), Middle High German hummen (to hum), probably ultimately of imitative origin.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈhʌm/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌm

Noun edit

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 dishwasher on.
  3. Busy activity, like the buzz of a beehive.
  4. (UK, slang) Unpleasant odour.
  5. (dated) An imposition or hoax; humbug.
  6. (obsolete) A kind of strong drink.
  7. (with article) A phenomenon, or collection of phenomena, involving widespread reports of a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise not audible to all people.
    • 2011 June 13, “Who, What, Why: Why is 'the hum' such a mystery?”, in BBC News[1]:
      There is a range of theories from farm or factory machinery to conspiracy theories such as flying saucers. And yet, "the hum" remains an unsolved case.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

See also edit

  The Hum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb edit

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 by humming.
    to hum a tune
    The team hummed “We Shall Overcome” as they came back onto the field after the break.
  3. (intransitive) To drone like certain insects naturally do in motion, or sounding similarly
    • 1922 October 26, Virginia Woolf, chapter 2, in Jacob’s Room, Richmond, London: [] Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, →OCLC; republished London: The Hogarth Press, 1960, →OCLC:
      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 low sounds which blend continuously
  6. (Britain, slang) To reek, smell bad.
    This room really hums — have you ever tried spring cleaning, mate?
  7. (transitive, UK, dated, slang) To flatter by approving; to cajole; to deceive or impose upon; to humbug.

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

Interjection edit

hum

  1. Synonym of hmm: a noise indicating thought, consideration, &c.
  2. Synonym of um: a noise indicating doubt, uncertainty, &c.

Derived terms edit

See also edit

etymologically unrelated terms containing "hum"

Anagrams edit

Akan edit

Pronunciation edit

  • Tone: M

Predicate edit

hum

  1. An identity for a "nom-int-txt" code: a wilde wish.
    hum ɔkɔ - a life cycle

Albanian edit

Etymology edit

Unknown. Maybe from Proto-Indo-European *skew- (to cover, conceal).

Noun edit

hum m (plural humi, definite huma)

  1. rough sea

Bahnar edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Bahnaric *huːm ~ hoːm, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *huum ~ *ʔum. Cognate with Sedang huam, Cua tahoːp, Pacoh houm, Puoc ʔuːm, Nyah Kur hóom. Probably also related to the forms with initial *s-, such as Khasi sum and Hu θúm.

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

hum 

  1. to bathe

Dutch edit

Etymology 1 edit

jocular abbreviation of humeur (cfr.)

Noun edit

hum n (plural hummen, diminutive hummetje n)

  1. (good) mood

Etymology 2 edit

Onomatopoeia

Alternative forms edit

Interjection edit

hum!

  1. uttering to attract attention, without literal meaning

French edit

Etymology edit

Expressive onomatopoeia; possible descent in ancient Latin or Frankish interjections.

Pronunciation edit

Interjection edit

hum

  1. (onomatopeia, colloquial) um..., hm

Further reading edit

Jakaltek edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Mayan *huuʼng.

Noun edit

hum

  1. paper

References edit

  • Church, Clarence; Church, Katherine (1955) Vocabulario castellano-jacalteco, jacalteco-castellano[2] (in Spanish), Guatemala C. A.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, pages 45; 23

Middle English edit

Pronoun edit

hum

  1. Alternative form of hem (them)

Ngamo edit

Noun edit

hùm

  1. water

References edit

  • Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    [] we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" [GT]:
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: [] Ngamo hùm [Schuh], []

Phalura edit

Etymology edit

From Pashto [script needed] (hum).

Pronunciation edit

Particle edit

hum (discourse, Perso-Arabic spelling ہُم)

  1. also, as well as

References edit

  • Liljegren, Henrik; Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎[3], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Portuguese edit

Pronunciation edit

Numeral edit

hum m (feminine huma)

  1. Archaic spelling of um.

Usage notes edit

In Brazil, this spelling is still seen in finance-related slips such as lottery tickets, cheques and receipts, in order to prevent fraud.

Article edit

hum m (plural huns, feminine huma, feminine plural humas)

  1. Obsolete spelling of um

Interjection edit

hum

  1. hmm

Serbo-Croatian edit

Etymology 1 edit

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *xъlmъ.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

hȗm m (Cyrillic spelling ху̑м)

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

Etymology 2 edit

Unknown.

Noun edit

hum f (Cyrillic spelling хум)

  1. (obsolete) arrogance
    Synonym: ȍholōst

References edit

  • hum” in Hrvatski jezični portal