Dumbledore
/ˈdʌmbəlˌdɔːr/noun
A dialectal English name for a bumblebee or other large buzzing insect, also used as a surname and fictional name.
Did you know?J. K. Rowling chose the name for Albus Dumbledore partly because she imagined the character constantly humming to himself; the older word independently referred to a buzzing insect.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
Old English
dora
“A buzzing insect or beetle”
Middle English
Middle English
dor
“A large buzzing beetle or flying insect”
Middle English
Middle English
dumble
“A humming or buzzing insect; dialectal form related to the insect-name element”
16th–17th Century
English dialects
dumble-dor
“A bumblebee or large buzzing insect”
Modern English
English
dumbledore
“A regional English word for a bumblebee, later preserved as a surname and fictional name”