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hum (v.)

late 14c., hommen "make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment," later hummen "to buzz, drone" (early 15c.), probably of imitative origin. Sense of "sing with closed lips" is first attested late 15c.; that of "be busy and active" is 1884, perhaps on analogy of a beehive. Related: Hummed.

hum (n.)

mid-15c., "a murmuring sound made with the voice," from hum (v.).

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Definitions of hum from WordNet
1
hum (v.)
sing with closed lips;
She hummed a melody
hum (v.)
be noisy with activity;
Synonyms: buzz / seethe
hum (v.)
sound with a monotonous hum;
Synonyms: thrum
hum (v.)
make a low continuous sound;
The refrigerator is humming
2
hum (n.)
the state of being or appearing to be actively engaged in an activity;
there is a constant hum of military preparation
Synonyms: busyness
hum (n.)
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;
Synonyms: Harkat-ul-Mujahidin / Harkat ul-Ansar / hua / Harkat ul-Mujahedeen / Al Faran / Movement of Holy Warriors
hum (n.)
a humming noise;
the hum of distant traffic
Synonyms: humming
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near hum

hulk

hulking

hull

hullabaloo

hullo

hum

human

humane

humanely

humaneness

humanism

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