bourdon

plural bourdons

1. archaicentertainmentThe 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.

   1985, Anthony Burgess, Kingdom of the Wicked

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.

   1890, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Vintage, published 2007, page 5

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.

plural bourdons · alternative bordon · alternative burdon

1. historicala pilgrim's staff.

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

   1926, James Charles Wall, Pilgrimage, page 27

   3 more examples

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

   1883 October, M.H. Bloxam, “On The Sepulchral Effigy of a Pilgrim in St. Mary's Church, Haverfordwest, South Wales”, in Archaeologia Cambrensis, volume 14, number 56, page 258

   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.

   1897 May, W. Connor Sydney, “Out With the Old Pilgrims”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, page 489

   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.'

   1904, James Blanton Wharey, A Study of the Sources of Bunyan's Allegories, page 29

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

plural Bourdons

1. A surname from French.