bourdon

noun

1. (archaic)The burden or bass of a melody.

   “The earth tremors resumed and made a bourdon to the loud psalms that they sang, interspersed with the odd ode of Horace recited by Silas.”

2. The drone pipe of a bagpipe.
3. The lowest-pitched stop of an organ.

   “The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant 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.
7. (historical)Unadapted borrowing from French bourdon; a pilgrim's staff.

   “The left hand was gone, this held the bourdon or pilgrim's staff, a small portion only of which appeared over the scrip.”

   “The pilgrim's return was denoted by a bunch of palm, which was tied round the head of the bourdon, the leaves being, of course, ghe guerdon of his enterprise, giving the name of Palmer to the tribe.”

   “Both in Wright's text and in Lydgate's version the hutch from which Grace Dieu gets the scrip and bourdon is said to contain 'many a fair jewel.'”

   “A thin wand is frequently bound against the pilgrim's bourdon in fifteenth century pictures.”

8. A flute stop on an organ of 8', 16' or 32', generally characterized by a low, dark tone.

name

1. A surname from French.