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bumblebee

or bum·ble bee

[buhm-buh l-bee]
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noun

any of several large, hairy social bees of the family Apidae.

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Humming (is so boring) Yet, bombinating sounds much more interesting! This word may sound a bit like bumblebee, which is kind of neat as it means “to hum, or buzz.” First published in the late 1800s, bombinate and bombilate are twins with family-tree roots tangled in both Greek and Latin derivatives (confusing) that lead to the late Latin bombilāre, or “to hum.” Breathing (is so …
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Origin of bumblebee

First recorded in 1520–30; bumble2 + bee1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bumblebee

Historical Examples of bumblebee

British Dictionary definitions for bumblebee

bumblebee

humblebee

noun

any large hairy social bee of the genus Bombus and related genera, of temperate regions: family Apidae

Word Origin for bumblebee

C16: from bumble ² + bee 1
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
Word Origin and History for bumblebee
n.

also bumble-bee, 1520s, replacing Middle English humbul-be (altered by association with Middle English bombeln "to boom, buzz," late 14c.); echoic, from PIE echoic root *kem "to hum."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper