buzz

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bʌz/^[1]

Etymology

It is imitative of the sound made by bees and other insects.^[2][3][4][5] Barnhart records the verb as buss in 1530 and the verbal noun bussing in 1495;^[2] Etymonline dates the verb to the late 15th century and buzzing to the late 14th.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To make a humming sound like a bee: 1530 in Barnhart;^[2] buzzing, the noun, 1495.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The noun meant a groundless fancy or whim in 1605, in Shakespeare's King Lear,^[2] a busy rumour in the 1620s (1627 in Barnhart, busy talk),^[3][2] and a humming sound in the 1640s (1645).^[3][6] The buzz of a telephone is from 1913, and to give someone a buzz, a phone call, by 1922;^[3][6] buzz off, go away, is from 1914, from ringing off on the telephone.^[3] A pleasant feeling of intoxication is recorded by 1935,^[3] and of excitement from 1942.^[6] The characteristic sound of early aircraft gave the verb sense to fly swiftly by 1928, and to fly low over something as a warning by 1940–41.^[3][2] The children's counting game buzz is from 1864,^[3][6] and the buzz bomb, the V-1 rocket, from 1944.^[3]

Timeline

• 1495 – bussing.^[2]
• 1530 – to hum like a bee.^[2]
• 1605 – a whim (noun).^[2]
• 1627 – busy talk.^[2]
• 1645 – a humming sound.^[6]
• 1913 – a telephone buzz.^[6]
• 1935 – a pleasant intoxication.^[3]
• 1941 – to fly low over.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A low vibrating or humming sound, as of a bee.
2. A low murmur, as of many voices.
3. A rumour; gossip.
4. (informal) A telephone call.
5. (slang) A pleasant feeling of intoxication or excitement.

Verb

1. To make a low droning or vibrating sound.
2. To talk excitedly in low tones; to be full of activity or talk.
3. To call or signal someone with a buzzer or telephone.
4. To fly low over something in an aircraft.

Word family

• buzzingly
• abuzz
• buzzword
• outbuzz
• buzz cut
• buzz saw
• buzz bomb

Related words

• buzzer
• fuzz

Usage notes

Buzz was also a dialect word for a bur, the prickly seed vessel of a plant.^[6][7]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)