buzz
See also: Buzz
English
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English *bussen, of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Middle English bunning (“buzzing”), Middle English hossing (“buzzing”), Middle English bissen (“to hush”).
Pronunciation
editNoun
editbuzz (countable and uncountable, plural buzzes)
The buzz of an electronic alarm clock
|
- A continuous humming noise, as of bees; a confused murmur, as of general conversation in low tones.
- 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 209:
- In the steady buzz of flies the homeward-bound agent was lying flushed and insensible[.]
- A whisper.
- The audible friction of voiced consonants.
- (informal) A rush or feeling of energy or excitement; a feeling of slight intoxication.
- Still feeling the buzz from the coffee, he pushed through the last of the homework.
- (informal) A telephone call or e-mail.
- 1983 April 9, “Clearly Womyn's Space (classified advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, page 15:
- Now, don't waste time, give us a buzz -- quick! 825-4703 or 265-7881.
- (informal) Major topic of conversation; widespread rumor; information spread behind the scenes.
- 1995, Amy Heckerling, Clueless, spoken by Cher (Alicia Silverstone):
- Mr. Hall? The buzz on Christian is that his parents have joint custody, so he'll be spending one semester in Chicago and one semester here.
- 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 103:
- I wasn't performing with Pimp and Smoove that much no more, but I had a solo deal with Ruthless Rap and a brand new mixtape that was creating a big buzz.
- 2006 September 6, Daren Fonda, “Ford Motor's New Chief: "I Think It's a Tough Situation"”, in Time:
- In Detroit, the buzz is that he's too nice a guy, unwilling to impose draconian job cuts at the risk of angering the UAW.
- 2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1):
- Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Who's he?
- Patrick: He's only the most popular kid in school.
- Allen Gregory: Ah, the two heavyweights finally meet. Sure you're tired of all the buzz. Allen Gregory DeLongpre.
- Joel Zadak: Joel...Zadak!
- (uncountable) Synonym of fizz-buzz (“counting game”)
Translations
editcontinuous humming noise
|
whisper — see whisper
audible friction of voice consonants
rush of feeling of energy or excitement
|
informal: telephone call
information spread behind the scenes
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Verb
editbuzz (third-person singular simple present buzzes, present participle buzzing, simple past and past participle buzzed)
- (intransitive) To make a low, continuous, humming or sibilant sound, like that made by bees with their wings.
- 1855 November 10, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Hiawatha’s Childhood”, in The Song of Hiawatha, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 47:
- Ah! the singing, fatal arrow, / Like a wasp it buzzed, and stung him [a roebuck]!
- 1922, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “The Holy Family”, in Fantasia of the Unconscious, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Seltzer, →OCLC, page 14:
- So that now the universe has escaped from the pin which was pushed through it, like an impaled fly vainly buzzing: now that the multiple universe flies its own complicated course quite free, and hasn't got any hub, we can hope also to escape.
- (by extension) To utter a murmuring sound; to speak with a low, humming voice.
- c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:
- However these disturbers of our peace / Buzz in the people's ears.
- Of a group of people, to talk about some interesting topic excitedly.
- 1928 February 25 – March 3, Arthur Conan Doyle, “When the World Screamed”, in The Professor Challenger Stories […], London: John Murray, […], published [1952], →OCLC, page 570:
- But I tell you this has set all London buzzing. The old man is where he likes to be, with a pin-point limelight right on his hairy old head.
- (chiefly of an insect) To fly while making such a sound.
- A fly was buzzing past me.
- 1897, Bram Stoker, chapter XX, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC:
- The flies, lethargic with the autumn, were beginning to buzz into the room.
- (colloquial) To show a high level of activity and haste, energization or excitement, to be busy as a bee in one’s actions but perhaps mentally charged.
- (transitive) To whisper; to communicate, as tales, in an undertone; to spread, as a report, by whispers or secretly.
- c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene vi]:
- I will buzz abroad such prophecies / That Edward shall be fearful of his life.
- (transitive) To talk to incessantly or confidentially in a low humming voice.
- (aviation) To fly at high speed and at a very low altitude over a specified area, as to make a surprise pass.
- 2013, The Economist, Stopping asteroid strikes: Defenders of the Earth[1]:
- […] an asteroid a mere 15-20 metres across exploded with the force of a medium-sized atom bomb over Chelyabinsk, in Russia, and another, much larger one buzzed Earth a few hours later.
- (transitive) To cut the hair in a close-cropped military style, or buzzcut.
- 2012, Ellen Hartman, Out of Bounds, page 130:
- Deacon said, “You used to beg me to let you buzz your hair when you were little.” “And then I grew up and realized how awful you looked when you buzzed yours.”
- (archaic, transitive) To drink to the bottom.
- 1849, The New Monthly Magazine and Universal Register:
- He buzzed the bottle with such a hearty good will as settled the fate of another, which Soapey rang for as a matter of course. There was but the rejected one, which however Spigot put into a different decanter and brought in […]
- (transitive) To communicate with (a person) by means of a buzzer.
- 2012, Steven Joseph Sinopoli, The Seventh House, page 66:
- Then one day my secretary buzzed me and said Frank Sinatra was on the phone. When I picked up the phone it was the Chief who played dumb and would not admit that he said he was Frank Sinatra.
Quotations
edit- For quotations using this term, see Citations:buzz.
Translations
editto make a low, continuous, humming or sibilant sound
|
to show a high level of activity and haste
to communicate, as tales, in an undertone
|
to talk to incessantly or confidentially in a low humming voice
aviation: to fly at high speed and at a low altitude
to cut the hair in a close-cropped style
to drink to the bottom
to communicate by means of a buzzer
|
Derived terms
edit- abuzz
- bizz-buzz
- buzz about
- buzzbait
- buzz-bomb
- buzz bomb
- buzz button
- buzz cut
- buzzie
- buzz in
- buzzkill
- buzzle
- buzzless
- buzzlike
- buzz off
- buzz-phrase
- buzz pollination
- buzzsaw
- buzz-saw
- buzz saw
- buzz score
- buzz session
- buzzstorm
- buzz track
- buzz up
- buzz word
- buzzword
- buzz-word
- buzzworm
- buzzworthy
- buzzy
- catch a buzz
- fizz-buzz
- give someone a buzz
- glacial buzz saw
- outbuzz
Further reading
editFrench
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editNoun
editbuzz m (uncountable)
- buzz (excitement)
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ʌz
- Rhymes:English/ʌz/1 syllable
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- Entries with audio examples
- English terms with quotations
- English informal terms
- English terms with usage examples
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English colloquialisms
- English transitive verbs
- en:Aviation
- English terms with archaic senses
- English onomatopoeias
- en:Animal sounds
- en:Hair
- en:Sounds
- en:Talking
- French terms borrowed from English
- French terms derived from English
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French uncountable nouns
- French masculine nouns