Buzzer
/ˈbʌz.ər/noun
A device or person that buzzes, especially a sound-making signal or a fast-spinning sports shot.
Did you know?‘Buzzer’ is an English sound-word formed from ‘buzz,’ and that buzzing core is so old and instinctive that it spread into words for insects, machines, and even a basketball shot at the last second.
Etymological Timeline
Late Old English
English
būsen / busen
“to make a low humming or buzzing sound (reconstructed/attested dialectal precursors to later buzz-forms)”
16th Century
English
buzz
“to make a humming or droning sound”
17th Century
English
buzzer
“one who or that which buzzes; a buzzing thing”
19th Century
English
buzzer
“a mechanical device that emits a buzzing sound as a signal”
20th Century
English
buzzer
“a sports shot or signal timed to the final buzzer”
Explore more surprising origins