Word
dumbledore
Phoneticsdum·b·le·dore
/ˈdəmbəɫˌdɔɹ/
Definition
n. an old word for a bumblebee. It is rarely used today except in very old stories or specific local areas in England.
n. a regional or archaic name for a bumblebee. Primarily found in West Country dialects of English and now largely obsolete in general usage.
Examples
“A large dumbledore buzzed around the garden flowers.”
“While walking through the meadows of Dorset, the poet noted the low hum of a dumbledore among the clover.”
“The use of 'dumbledore' to describe a bumblebee survives mainly in historical dialect glossaries, though it gained modern fame as the surname for a prominent literary wizard.”
Examples
simple
“A large dumbledore buzzed around the garden flowers.”
contextual
“While walking through the meadows of Dorset, the poet noted the low hum of a dumbledore among the clover.”
complex
“The use of 'dumbledore' to describe a bumblebee survives mainly in historical dialect glossaries, though it gained modern fame as the surname for a prominent literary wizard.”
Usage
Typically used in literary or dialectal contexts; often capitalised when referring to the fictional character.
Real-World Examples
“Oscar-nominated actor Jon Lithgow has been cast as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Nick Frost as gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid.” “The cast includes Paapa Essiedu as Professor Severus Snape and US actor John Lithgow as the wise and powerful headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore.” Etymology
Compound of dumble (similar to bumble) + dor (“a buzzing flying insect”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/dumbledore