Droned
/droʊnd/noun
Past tense and past participle of drone, meaning to make a low, continuous humming sound or to speak in a monotonous voice.
Did you know?The word originally belonged to the buzzing male bee, and only later spread to mean a monotonous human voice, as if speech itself had become a mechanical hum.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dher-
“to hum, sound, or make noise”
Old English
OE
drān
“male bee; drone”
Middle English
ME
dronen
“to buzz, murmur, or speak monotonously”
16th Century
English
drone
“a low humming sound; a monotonous speaker”
Modern English
English
droned
“made or said in a dull, monotonous tone; hummed continuously”