Etymology: Apparently cognate with Old Saxon drano , dran (with uncertain vowel length: see note) (Middle Low German drāne , drōne ; German regional (Low German) drāne , drōne ; > German Drohne ) and probably also with Old Saxon dreno , Old High German treno , tren (Middle High German tren , all with short vowel), all in the sense ‘drone bee’, further etymology uncertain, probably ultimately < a Germanic verbal base for making a kind of loud, continuous sound (compare droun v.); the noun was apparently formed from this verbal base with reference to the loud buzzing sound made by bees and similar insects, perhaps sometimes specifically with reference to the males of some species buzzing aggressively when the hive is disturbed. Perhaps compare dor n.¹It is unclear whether the vowel in the Old Saxon and Old English words was long or short. If the vowel was short, these forms could show an ablaut variant (o -grade) of the Germanic base reflected by Old High German treno , all ultimately < the same Germanic base as Old Icelandic drynja to roar (see droun v.). A short-vowel form in Old English would account for the later development of the α. forms as well as the south-west midland form with o in quot. c1225 at sense 1β. (in that region the regular reflex of short a before a nasal); one 14th-cent. example is perhaps also from the west midlands, and similar forms occur in names from that region (see below). Most later examples of the β. forms (found especially in Scotland, northern England, and the north midlands in the late 15th and 16th centuries) would remain unexplained by this hypothesis, but it has been suggested that these were influenced or reinforced by drone v.¹ (although that is itself only attested from the early 16th cent.), on account of the sound made by the insects (compare quot. ?a1513 at drone v.¹ 1a, confirming that the sound was associated with bees). A long-vowel form in Old English could not easily be related to the Old Saxon and Old High German words. Additionally, while such an interpretation would account for the β. forms, it would make the α. forms difficult to explain, especially as forms with a would then be expected only in northern England or Scotland, where they do not occur in early use, all of which appears to make an underlying long-vowel form less likely. Possible non-Germanic parallels. Similar-looking words with similar senses are also attested in some other Indo-European languages, although their relationship to the Germanic words is difficult to establish for phonological reasons. Compare (with different initial consonant already at Balto-Slavonic level) Lithuanian tranas drone, Serbian Church Slavonic trutŭ wasp, Old Polish trant drone, Russian truten′ drone. Ancient Greek ἀνθρήνη , τενθρηδών , Hellenistic Greek ἀνθρηδών , τενθρήνη wasp, hornet (all with a suggested base -θρην- /-θρηδ- ), and Byzantine Greek (Laconian) θρώναξ drone, all with long vowel, have also sometimes been compared, although the relationship of these to each other is uncertain, as is their ulterior origin. Evidence from names. The word is apparently also attested early in a place name in both types of form: Dranefeld , Derbyshire (1086; also in forms with o from the 12th cent.; now Dronfield). Earlier currency in sense 2a may be implied by surnames, e.g. Roger Drane (1276), Walter le Dran (1285), and (with o , in the west midlands) Adam le Dron (1275, Worcestershire) and Rob'to Drone (1327, Staffordshire; 1332 as Rob'to le Drone ). Specific senses. In sense 2a with reference to the observation that male bees remain in the hive and are attended to by the workers. In the context of the beehive, this was already interpreted as suggesting laziness in the Old English and Middle English periods (compare e.g. quots. lOE at sense 1α. and a1400 at sense 1β. ). Earlier currency in this sense may be implied by the surnames cited above. It is likely that sense 2b developed from 2a rather than from confusion with the worker bees. In sense 3a reportedly originally with reference to the Queen Bee , a radio-controlled aircraft used by the British armed forces for anti-aircraft target practice from 1935 to 1947 (compare queen bee n. 3). Occasional early uses of Drone King Bee denoting a radio-controlled aircraft appear to be unrelated; compare:1936 Daily Independent (Sheffield) 11 Apr. 8/3 The Drone ‘King Bee’ radio-controlled flying will be demonstrated.The British Aircraft Company's ‘Drone’ was a manned glider powered by a motorcycle engine, and the ‘King Bee’ here may have been a radio-controlled model of the B. A. C. Drone. It seems unlikely that this use played any role in the development of sense 3a.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Probably < drone v.¹ (although this is first attested slightly later), unless the verb is itself from this noun.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps imitative of a low humming sound, or perhaps < drone n.² (although uses with reference to the sound itself are first attested later for the noun; compare drone n.² 2). Compare droun v. and the Germanic parallels cited at that entry (which is semantically distinct in English, but appears to be ultimately related or similarly formed). With sense 1a compare slightly earlier droner n. 1.

Etymology: < drone n.¹ Compare earlier droning adj.¹