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dumbledore

American  
[duhm-buhl-dawr] / ˈdʌm bəlˌdɔr /

noun

British Dialect, Archaic.
  1. bumblebee.

  2. cockchafer.


dumbledore British  
/ ˈdʌmbəlˌdɔː /

noun

  1. Also (Southwest English): drumbledranedialect a bumblebee

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does dumbledore mean? Dumbledore is an old British word for a bumblebee.It can also refer to the kind of beetle known as a cockchafer.Dumbledore originated as a term used in a regional British dialect, but it is now very rarely used. An even less common variant of the word is dumbledrane.Today, it is much more well-known as the last name of Albus Dumbledore, a character from the Harry Potter series of books.Example: We sat on the grass and watched busy dumbledores collecting pollen from flowers.

Etymology

Origin of dumbledore

First recorded in 1785–90; from dumble-, a combining form used for names of buzzing insects + dore, a variant spelling of dor 1 ( def. ); bumble 2 ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

John Lithgow will play Dumbledore in the streaming series while newcomers Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout will play Hermione, Harry and Ron, respectively.

From Los Angeles Times

They join a crop of other names on the show's growing cast list including the child actors who will play Harry, Hermione and Ron, as well as John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape.

From BBC

And as Dumbledore would say, it’s the choice between what is right and what is easy.

From Salon

The youngsters join John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the school's key professors being played by Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu, as Severus Snape.

From BBC

The network also confirmed John Lithgow's announcement in February that he will play Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

From BBC