Definition of BOURDON

bourdon

Plural: bourdons

Noun

  • A drone pipe in a bagpipe, or a low-pitched bell.
  • a pipe of the bagpipe that is tuned to produce a single continuous tone
  • The burden or bass of a melody.
  • The drone pipe of a bagpipe.
  • The lowest-pitched stop of an organ.
  • The lowest-pitched bell of a carillon.
  • A large, low-pitched bell not part of a diatonically tuned ring of bells.
  • A bumblebee, genus Bombus.
  • A pilgrim's staff.

Examples

  • The low drone of a BOURDON matched the somber mood after his opponent’s bingo.

Origin / Etymology

Inherited from Middle English burdoun (“accompaniment”), from Old French bordon, from Medieval Latin burdō, burdōnem (“drone”). The modern pronunciation is influenced by modern French bourdon.

Synonyms

drone, drone pipe

Scrabble Score: 10

bourdon: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
bourdon: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
bourdon: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

bourdon: valid Words With Friends Word