Etymologically
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buzz

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Pronunciation

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
  • 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)