drone

Etymology 1

From Middle English drane, from Old English drān, from Proto-West Germanic *drānu, from Proto-Germanic *drēniz, *drēnuz, *drenô (“an insect, drone”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrēn- (“bee, drone, hornet”). Cognate with: * Dutch dar (“male bee or wasp”), * Low German drone (“drone”), * German Drohne, dialectal German Dräne, Trehne, Trene (“drone”), * Danish drone (“drone”), * Swedish drönje, drönare (“drone”). In sense “unmanned aircraft”, due to early military UAVs dumbly flying on preset paths. The verb sense derives from this sense.

noun

1. A male ant, bee or wasp, which does not work but can fertilize the queen.
   All with united force combine to drive / The lazy drones from the laborious hive.
2. (now rare) Someone who does not work; a lazy person, an idler.
   he that gathereth not every day as much as I doe, the next day shall be set beyond the river, and be banished from the Fort as a drone, till he amend his conditions or starve. 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, Kupperman, published 1988, page 117
3. One who performs menial or tedious work.
4. (aviation) A remotely controlled aircraft, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
   Several images of the compound were obtained via a drone overflight.
   One team member launched a camera drone over the Third Pole.
   All modern armies rely on veritable fleets of drones for routine soldiering (static garrisons, patrols, etc.). The use of drones in non-critical duties keeps manpower need down and reduces casualties in low intensity conflicts. Less advanced races and cultures with less sensitivity to casualties have correspondingly fewer drones in their inventory. Drones are of little use in conventional open field battles, as they are poorly armed and armored. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Vehicles: Combat Drones Codex entry
   The United Nations is setting up a unit to investigate American drone strikes and other targeted killings of terrorist suspects, Ben Emmerson, the United Nations special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, said Thursday. 2012-10-25, Scott Shane, “Drone Strikes to Be Investigated”, in New York Times
   A farmer could place an order for a new tractor part by text message and pay for it by mobile money-transfer. A supplier many miles away would then take the part to the local matternet station for airborne dispatch via drone. 2012-12-01, “An internet of airborne things”, in The Economist, volume 405, number 8813, page 3 (Technology Quarterly)
   In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way. 2013-06-07, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6
   In April, as an Air Canada Jazz flight was landing at Trudeau Airport, a drone came so close the pilot was able to identify it as a quadcopter. 2017-10-17, Christina Caron, “After Drone Hits Plane in Canada, New Fears About Air Safety”, in New York Times
   NR made extensive use of drones, helicopters and a team of divers to inspect the flood-damaged section of embankment that forced the closure of one of the lines into Drax from February 6-April 20. May 20 2020, Paul Stephen, “NR beats floods to secure tracks to Drax”, in Rail, page 58, photo caption
5. (Uganda) A Toyota HiAce or a similar van, especially one used by Ugandan state agents to kidnap opposition members.
   The van is locally referred to as "a drone" because it is compact and stable under extreme conditions. It is also very fast. Technically though, it is a Toyota Hiace, which is usually used for commercial purposes. 2021-02-04, Alex Mugasha, “Why Uganda's security agencies have fallen in love with the "Drone" van”, in Nile Post
   He has been arrested several times, transported in drone vans and brutalized in various detention facilities. 2021-02-04, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, “Horror inside a kidnap drone”, in The Observer
   The Toyota Hiace is a light commercial van that can be used as a minibus, a taxi, or even an ambulance. But in Uganda, the "drone" has a sinister reputation. Chris Atukwasize, a cartoonist at the Daily Monitor newspaper, dubbed it the #WheelsOfSteal and rendered it as a skull: brake lights dripping blood, its front grille a row of teeth, and hands plastered behind its tinted back windows, pleading for help. 2021-03-03, Liam Taylor, “They came in plainclothes with guns: 'Abducted' by Uganda's army”, in Al Jazeera
   Earlier this week, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa summoned the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja together with the Ministers of Security and Internal Affairs and parliamentary whips to address the said return of drones on the streets. 2022-10-02, Sam Waswa, “UPDF Probes Drone Raid at Journalist's Home”, in Chimp Reports
   A minibus van, often numberless and dubbed the 'drone', gained notoriety for kidnaps and disappearances. 2022-10-20, Albert K Awedoba, Andreas Mehler, Benedikt Kamski, David Sebudubudu, Africa Yearbook, volume 18, page 419
6. (chiefly Internet slang) A person without the ability to think critically and independently, especially one who follows a group blindly; a non-player character.
   The billionaire-friendly media drones and frenzied multiculturalist politicians are imposing "vibrant" third world social violence onto Australians, and Australians don't get to vote against this "bipartisan" conspiracy. The hyperactive globalist politicians and media drones might find themselves facing firing squads if they don't change their corrupt ways. 18 Dec 2009, Benway (original non-Zionist), “Shocking Jewish faggot property pimp attack on Australia”, in aus.politics (Usenet)
   2 Sept 2011, corella, “What does it mean when gibbering media drones say that grotesque Asian-style "Stack and Pack" slums and plague immigration are vibrant?”, in aus.politics (Usenet):
   Instead, you got into lockstep with all the other hive-mind libtard drones and voted for the slimy corrupt scumbag bitch who was under *two* active Congressional investigations (a first in history, BTW), Hitlery Clinton. 19 Jan 2017, The Party Of Trump (The Party For Winners), “Re: Clinton Cash”, in alt.checkmate (Usenet)

verb

1. (transitive, colloquial) To kill with a missile fired by unmanned aircraft.
   "I have a lot of advice for him," Ayers said in the interview, aired Tuesday night. "I want him to stop droning people. I want him to close Guantanamo. I want universal healthcare. Don't you think we deserve universal healthcare? Seriously." 2014, Colin Campbell, “Bill Ayers To Obama: 'Stop Droning People'”, in Business Insider
   “He won’t be waging wars all the world ― he’ll be waging ‘warsuits,’” Noah said. “Droning people with subpoenas all over the globe.” 2016, David Moye, “Trevor Noah: If Trump Is Elected, He’ll Wage ‘Warsuits’”, in Huffington Post
   “Are we still droning people? Yeah,” he said. “Are we still running covert operations that weren’t authorized by Congress? Yeah. Is the government still spying on Americans without warrants? Without due process. Yeah. When some libertarians talk about the great accomplishments we’re seeing on foreign policy, I don’t know what they’re talking about. Reaching out to these guys is one thing, but you have to move down the court. [Trump] actually made it harder for us to have a good relationship with Russia.” 2018, David Weigel, “The new ‘Dr. No’: Rep. Justin Amash, marooned in Congress”, in Washington Post

Etymology 2

From Middle English drounen (“to roar, bellow”), from Proto-West Germanic *drunnjan, from Proto-Germanic *drunjaną (“to drone, roar, make a sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (“to roar, hum, drone”). Cognate with Scots drune (“to drone, moan, complain”), Dutch dreunen (“to drone, boom, thud”), Low German drönen (“to drone, buzz, hum”), German dröhnen (“to roar, boom, rumble”), Danish drøne (“to roar, boom, peel out”), Swedish dröna (“to low, bellow, roar”), Icelandic drynja (“to roar”).

verb

1. To produce a low-pitched hum or buzz.
2. To speak in a monotone way.

noun

1. A low-pitched hum or buzz.
   He chanted as he flew and the car responded with sonorous drone. 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
2. (music) One of the fixed-pitch pipes on a bagpipe.
3. (music, uncountable) A genre of music that uses repeated lengthy droning sounds.
4. A humming or deep murmuring sound.