Etymology: Origin uncertain. Apparently related to drumble- comb. form and dumble- comb. form, apparently ultimately showing an imitative origin (compare -le suffix 3).The English word is apparently only attested in a list of various birds and insects which occurs in a bilingual rhymed Anglo-Norman–Middle English poem (lacking any punctuation, which makes it difficult to determine whether drumbil is intended as a noun or an adjective), where bee drumbil glosses Anglo-Norman ee hanatoun ( < ee bee ( < classical Latin apis : see apiary n.) + hanatoun , of uncertain sense). Anglo-Norman Dict. at hanetun tentatively suggests ‘drone’ as the sense in the passage cited in quot. c1350; this interpretation is rejected by Dict. étymologique de l'ancien français at hanneton (see discussion there), which takes this instance of hanatoun in its usual sense ‘cockchafer’. Middle Eng. Dict. (at drumbil v.) interprets quot. c1350 as showing a verb, but this is unlikely given the syntax.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps < drumble v.¹ (although this is first attested later). Compare Swedish drummel clumsy person, oaf (first half of the 18th cent., apparently earliest in drumelaktig clumsy; probably < drumla to dawdle, to move sluggishly: see drumble v.¹). Alternatively, it is possible that the word could show a semantic development of drumble n.¹; compare the semantic development of French hanneton ‘cockchafer’ (see etymological note at drumble n.¹) to ‘absent-minded’ (1675) and ‘absent-minded person’ (late 18th cent.). Perhaps compare also earlier drone n.¹ and later dummel n.The form dromos in quot. 1568 may reflect vocalization of l ; perhaps compare drumbo at drumble n.³ β. forms, drumbow at drumble n.³ β. forms. The form drummil shows consonantal assimilation.

Etymology: Apparently a variant or alteration of dimble n. (compare the variant dumble at that entry). Perhaps compare also dingle n.Attested in a number of field names and minor place names from Staffordshire and Cheshire, historical spellings of which often alternate between forms with -r- and forms without: compare e.g. Devil's Drumble , Staffordshire (1605 as Devil's Dimble ), and see variants and discussion at dimble n. Earlier currency may be implied by Dromble (also Le Dromble), field name, Middlewich, Cheshire (1536; now lost), The Drumble, Cheshire (1647; compare Drumber Lane, Odd Rode, Cheshire).

Etymology: Origin uncertain; probably ultimately an imitative formation in -le suffix, although compare earlier drumble n.² With sense 1 compare earlier mumble v.Perhaps compare German regional (Low German) drömeln , Danish regional (Jutland) drumle , both in sense ‘to move or work sluggishly, to dawdle’, Norwegian drumla to be half asleep, Swedish drumla to be clumsy (early 19th cent.), Swedish regional (Northern) dromla to move sluggishly, to dawdle; and compare also (without suffixation) Norwegian droma to walk sluggishly, to speak slowly, drumba , drumma (of cattle) to lag behind, to straggle, Swedish †droma to walk sluggishly, to dawdle (end of the 17th cent.); perhaps all ultimately < Middle Low German drȫmen dream v.²

Etymology: Apparently a blend of drum v.¹ and rumble v.² Perhaps compare Middle Dutch, Dutch trommelen , German trommeln (end of the 15th cent. as †trumlen ), Danish tromle , †trumle (18th cent.), Swedish trumla (1684), all in sense ‘to drum’. Compare earlier drumbling adj.², and also earlier drumble v.¹