# bourdon

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbʊədən/ · frequency rank #83,068

## Definitions
1. The burden or bass of a melody.
2. The drone pipe of a bagpipe.
3. The lowest-pitched stop of an organ.
4. The lowest-pitched bell of a carillon.
5. A large, low-pitched bell not part of a diatonically tuned ring of bells.
6. A bumblebee, genus Bombus.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English burdoun (“accompaniment”), from Old French bordon, from Medieval Latin burdō, burdōnem (“drone”). The modern pronunciation and form (for *burdon) is influenced by modern French bourdon.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bourdon