Bumblebee
/ˈbʌm.bəl.biː/noun
A large, hairy bee that makes a loud buzzing sound and often lives in small colonies.
Did you know?The first part of bumblebee comes from a Germanic sound-imitative root meaning “to hum or buzz,” which is why the word feels like a vibration before it even means a creature.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bimblōną / *bumbōną
“to buzz, hum, or make a low droning sound”
Middle English
English
bumblen
“to buzz, hum, or move clumsily”
16th Century
English
bumble
“to drone or move about noisily and clumsily”
16th–17th Century
English
bumblebee
“a buzzing bee; a large, noisy bee”