drone en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /dɹoʊn/ (General-American)
- /dɹəʊn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English drane, dron, drone, from Old English drān, drǣn, from Proto-West Germanic *drānu, from Proto-Germanic *drenô, *drēnuz (“drone”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreh₁n- (“bee, drone, hornet”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Droane (“drone”), Dutch dar (“drone”), German Drohne (“drone”), Limburgish dreen, Droon (“drone”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk drone (“drone”), Swedish drönare (“drone”); also Belarusian тру́цень (trúcjenʹ, “drone”), Bulgarian търтей (tărtej, “drone”), Czech trubec (“drone”), Macedonian трут (trut, “drone”), Polish trąd, trut, truteń (“drone”), Russian and Ukrainian тру́тень (trútenʹ, “drone”), Serbo-Croatian тру̑т, trȗt (“drone”), Slovak trúd (“drone”), Slovene trot (“drone”). The etymology of the sense of "remote-controlled aircraft" is disputed; theories include early military UAVs dumbly flying on preset paths.
Meanings
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A male hymenopteran (ant, bee, hornet, or wasp), whose sole primary function is to mate with the queen.
All with united force combine to drive / The lazy drones from the laborious hive.
1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
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(archaic) One who does not work; a lazy person, an idler.
by living as a drone, to be an unprofitable or unworthy member of so learned and noble a society
1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC: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:SHYLOCK: / The patch is kind enough, but a huge feeder, / Snail-slow in profit, and he sleeps by day / More than the wild-cat; drones hive not with me; / Therefore I part with him; and part with him / To one what I would have him help to waste / His borrowed purse. […]
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene v]:
- One who performs menial or tedious work.
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Any remotely operated or autonomous vehicle for land, sea, air, or space.
sea drones
space drones
land drones
aerial drones
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Any remotely operated or autonomous vehicle for land, sea, air, or space. ▸ An aircraft operated by remote control, especially an uncrewed/unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
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.
2020 May 20, Paul Stephen, “NR beats floods to secure tracks to Drax”, in Rail, page 58, photo caption: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 October 17, Christina Caron, “After Drone Hits Plane in Canada, New Fears About Air Safety”, 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 December 1, “An internet of airborne things”, in The Economist, volume 405, number 8813, page 3: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 October 25, Scott Shane, “Drone Strikes to Be Investigated”, in New York Times:One team member launched a camera drone over the Third Pole.
Near-synonyms: UAV, UAS, OPV, RPV, FPV
Indeed, referring to his drone murder extermination campaign Obama bragged: "I'm really good at killing people!" Those are Obama's own words!
2021, Francis A. Boyle, World Politics, Human Rights, and International Law, page 9:Several images of the compound were obtained via a drone overflight.
An atomic tested Flying Fortress will make a nonstop flight from Florida, and from the time the first engine kicks over until the last propeller stops spinning at Bolling, no hands will touch the controls. A radio controlled drone, it will make the journey with its mother ship, another Fortress, as part of the Experimental Guided Missiles Group contribution to the demonstration.
1948 September 14, “Air Force Day”, in U.S. Air Services, page 6: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 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
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Any remotely operated or autonomous vehicle for land, sea, air, or space. ▸ Any remotely operated or autonomous underwater vehicle, especially when multiple such vehicles are operated from a larger vessel.
The Apex boat is a small radio-controlled craft which tows, at an angle, two Drone boats. The latter are small craft filled with explosives to be detonated from the control radio of the Apex boat.
1946, Seventh United States Army in France and Germany, Report of Operations, volume 1, page 73:Near-synonyms: ROV, ROUV, UUV, AUV
Firefish, a drone boat, is the second radio-controlled target used by the detachment. A 17-foot fiber glass craft, it weighs 1700 pounds and operates from the support ship by remote control at a range of up to five miles using tracking radar.
1968 July 14, “Long-Distance Crews”, in All Hands, number 618, page 27:There, in the heart of a desert target range, operates a fleet of remote-control QM-56 mobile land drones, more familiarly described as modified tanks.
1968 September 14, “Desert Tank Corps”, in All Hands, number 620, page 13:"Libya obtained a remote controlled explosive boat system consisting of 30-knot drone boats packed with high explosives controlled from a cabin cruiser type craft," Butts told the seapower and strategic and critical materials subcomittee.
1984 March 1, UPI, “Libya owns drone boats, Navy says”, in Eugene Register-Guard, page 2:
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Any remotely operated or autonomous vehicle for land, sea, air, or space. ▸ Any watercraft on the water's surface that is remotely operated or autonomous.
Near-synonyms: USV (remotely operated), ASV (autonomous)
- Any remotely operated or autonomous vehicle for land, sea, air, or space. ▸ Any UGV (uncrewed ground vehicle).
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(Uganda) A Toyota HiAce or a similar van, especially one used by Ugandan state agents to kidnap opposition members.
He has been arrested several times, transported in drone vans and brutalized in various detention facilities.
2021 February 4, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, “Horror inside a kidnap drone”, in The Observer: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 February 4, Alex Mugasha, “Why Uganda's security agencies have fallen in love with the "Drone" van”, in Nile Post:A minibus van, often numberless and dubbed the 'drone', gained notoriety for kidnaps and disappearances.
2022 October 20, Albert K Awedoba, Andreas Mehler, Benedikt Kamski, David Sebudubudu, Africa Yearbook, volume 18, →ISBN, page 419: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 October 2, Sam Waswa, “UPDF Probes Drone Raid at Journalist's Home”, in Chimp Reports: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 March 3, Liam Taylor, “They came in plainclothes with guns: 'Abducted' by Uganda's army”, in Al Jazeera:
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(derogatory, slang) One who lacks the ability to think critically and independently, especially one who follows a group blindly; a non-player character.
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.
2017 January 19, The Party Of Trump (The Party For Winners), “Re: Clinton Cash”, in alt.checkmate (Usenet):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.
2009 December 18, Benway (original non-Zionist), “Shocking Jewish faggot property pimp attack on Australia”, in aus.politics (Usenet):
- In dronification kink, one who is mindless and obedient to a dominant, characterized by a detached and robotic identity and an anonymous appearance, typically composed of a latex suit and gas mask.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| drones | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
Nintendrone · counterdrone · drony · combat drone · droneboarding · dronescape · dronist · dronie · drone fly · microdrone · alimony drone · dronification · dronify · dronesome · Dronespace · minidrone · droneless · drone-a-thon · droney · drone-athon · dronepipe · dronelike · dronish · drone wall · Dronehenge · antidrone · office drone · drone metal · suicide drone · dronology
Descendants
dron · drone · drone · ਡ੍ਰੋਨ · dron · drone · dron
Synonyms
OPV · UAS · USV · RPV · AUV · drudge · FPV · UUV · ROV · UAV · ROUV · ASV
Translations (191)
fa-ira پَهْپاد (unmanned aircraft) · sk bezpilotné lietadlo (unmanned aircraft) · mi matatopa (unmanned aircraft) · sh беспилотна летјелица (unmanned aircraft) · ast zánganu (male bee) · ko 무인기 (unmanned aircraft) · sl brezpilotno letalo (unmanned aircraft) · be бесьпілётнік (unmanned aircraft) · da dronefly (unmanned aircraft) · pt zângão (male bee) · ru беспило́тный лета́тельный аппара́т (unmanned aircraft) · es abejón (male bee) · nn drone (male bee) · mk беспи́лотник (unmanned aircraft) · sh dron (unmanned aircraft) · nb dronefly (unmanned aircraft) · it drone (unmanned aircraft) · ru беспило́тник (unmanned aircraft) · my ပျားထီး (male bee) · lv trans (male bee) · ar يَعْسُوب (male bee) · tr dron (unmanned aircraft) · de Drohne (male bee) · mr ड्रोन (unmanned aircraft) · tr saka (male bee) · ml ആൺതേനീച്ച (male bee) · grc κηφήν (male bee) · sh BPL (unmanned aircraft) · tr insansız hava aracı (İHA) (unmanned aircraft) · nn drone (unmanned aircraft) · sq trëntor (male bee) · nb drone (male bee) · sk trúd (male bee) · be тру́цень (male bee) · nl dar (male bee) · he מַזְלָ״ט (unmanned aircraft) · sh дрон (unmanned aircraft) · cmn 無人飛機 /无人飞机 (unmanned aircraft) · af hommeltuig (unmanned aircraft) · es dron (unmanned aircraft) · ja 雄蜂 (male bee) · az erkək arı (male bee) · cmn 無人航空載具 /无人航空载具 (unmanned aircraft) · sh trȗt (male bee) · acw درون (unmanned aircraft) · az dron (unmanned aircraft) · fi drone (unmanned aircraft) · pt zangão (male bee) · nn dronefly (unmanned aircraft) · de Drohne (unmanned aircraft) · mk дрон (unmanned aircraft) · pl bezpilotowiec (unmanned aircraft) · gd dròn (unmanned aircraft) · sh БПЛ (unmanned aircraft) · pt drone (unmanned aircraft) · tg дрон (unmanned aircraft) · fi drooni (unmanned aircraft) · kmr pîrox (male bee) · eo spavo (unmanned aircraft) · pl truteń (male bee) · ia ape mascule (male bee) · tr insansız uçak (unmanned aircraft) · tg паҳпод (unmanned aircraft) · kk ұшқышсыз ұшу аппараты (unmanned aircraft) · th อากาศยานไร้คนขับ (unmanned aircraft) · pl truteń (lazy person) · lt trãnas (male bee) · mk беспи́лотно ле́тало (unmanned aircraft) · gl abáboro (male bee) · sh bespilotna letelica (unmanned aircraft) · sv drönare (male bee) · sv drönare (unmanned aircraft) · mk трут (male bee) · th โดรน (unmanned aircraft) · ga ladrann (male bee) · ga drón (unmanned aircraft) · ca VANT (unmanned aircraft) · lt dronas (unmanned aircraft) · cmn 無人駕駛飛機 /无人驾驶飞机 (unmanned aircraft) · bg тъ́ртей (male bee) · ru БПЛА (unmanned aircraft) · eo senpilota aviadilo (unmanned aircraft) · es zángano (male bee) · ur بَغَیْر پائِلَٹ کی فَضائی گاڑی (unmanned aircraft) · sq brumbull (male bee) · ja 無人航空機 (unmanned aircraft) · ro dronă (unmanned aircraft) · ur ڈْرون (unmanned aircraft) · pl dron (unmanned aircraft) · sw droni (unmanned aircraft) · cy gwenynen segur (male bee) · gl abázcaro (male bee) · sh тру̑т (male bee) · pl bezzałogowiec (unmanned aircraft) · kk дрон (unmanned aircraft) · cmn 無人機 /无人机 (unmanned aircraft) · ru дрон (unmanned aircraft) · be беспіло́тнік (unmanned aircraft) · cs dron (unmanned aircraft) · hi मानव रहित विमान (unmanned aircraft) · ru тру́тень (male bee) · az PUA (unmanned aircraft) · bo ཕོ་སྦྲང (male bee) · ko 숫벌 (male bee) · hy անօդաչու (unmanned aircraft) · ca abellot (male bee) · cmn 雄蜂 (male bee) · ko 수벌 (male bee) · nl drone (unmanned aircraft) · ar مُسَيَّرَة (unmanned aircraft) · tr çamcarı (unmanned aircraft) · bg дрон (unmanned aircraft) · grc θρῶναξ (male bee) · el κηφήνας (male bee) · af dar (male bee) · la fucus (unmanned aircraft) · be беспіло́тны лята́льны апара́т (unmanned aircraft) · ky учкучсуз учуучу аппарат (unmanned aircraft) · da drone (unmanned aircraft) · uk дрон (unmanned aircraft) · ja ドローン (unmanned aircraft) · cs bezpilotní letoun (unmanned aircraft) · ko 드론 (unmanned aircraft) · sl trọ̑t (male bee) · uk безпіло́тник (unmanned aircraft) · sw ndege nyuki (unmanned aircraft) · it fuco (male bee) · fr drone (unmanned aircraft) · fr faux bourdon (male bee) · et droon (unmanned aircraft) · sq djerraditëz (male bee) · ro trântor (male bee) · ba дрон (unmanned aircraft) · sh беспилотна летелица (unmanned aircraft) · ka მამალი ფუტკარი (male bee) · lv bezpilota lidaparāts (unmanned aircraft) · cy drôn (unmanned aircraft) · fi lennokki (unmanned aircraft) · bo སྦྲང་མ་ཕོ (male bee) · lt tranas (male bee) · eo droneo (unmanned aircraft) · uk тру́тень (male bee) · da drone (male bee) · et lesk (male bee) · ang drān (male bee) · uz uchuvchisiz uchish apparati (unmanned aircraft) · vi máy bay không người lái (unmanned aircraft) · uk безпіло́тний літа́льний апара́т (unmanned aircraft) · nl drone (male bee) · es drone (unmanned aircraft) · id lebah jantan (male bee) · eo virabelo (male bee) · tr puları (male bee) · ga crónán (male bee) · hu drón (unmanned aircraft) · gl franco (male bee) · ar يَمْخُور (male bee) · nb drone (unmanned aircraft) · id dron (unmanned aircraft) · ja 無人飛行機 (unmanned aircraft) · eo flugroboto (unmanned aircraft) · sh bespilotna letjelica (unmanned aircraft) · kmr nêrehing (male bee) · ajp زنانة (unmanned aircraft) · ko 무인항공기 (unmanned aircraft) · cs trubec (male bee) · tr hordan (male bee) · fi kuhnuri (male bee) · gl abellón (male bee) · tr haradan (male bee) · ky дрон (unmanned aircraft) · hu here (male bee) · be дрон (unmanned aircraft) · ka დრონი (unmanned aircraft) · ca dron (unmanned aircraft) · he מָלָ״ט (unmanned aircraft) · my ဒရုန်း (unmanned aircraft) · tr bodat (male bee) · enm drane (male bee) · pl samolot bezzałogowy (unmanned aircraft) · km ដ្រូន (unmanned aircraft) · ast abeyón (male bee) · bo མི་མེད་འཕུར་གྲུ (unmanned aircraft) · ur بَعِید مُنْضَبِط طَیَّارَہ (unmanned aircraft) · tr boruzan (male bee) · ast bázcaru (male bee) · uz dron (unmanned aircraft) · lt bepilotis orlaivis (unmanned aircraft) · az pilotsuz uçuş aparatı (unmanned aircraft) · ar طَائِرَة بِدُونِ طَيَّار (unmanned aircraft) · sl dron (unmanned aircraft)
wikipedia: General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper · wikidata: Q618465 · wikidata: Q484000 · wikidata: Q138879355 · wikidata: Q650665 · wikidata: Q2031473