clarion vs hum

clarion

verb
  • Of a thing: to cause (a place) to echo with a sound like that of a clarion. 

  • To announce or herald (something) using a clarion (noun sense 1). 

  • To sound a clarion; also, to make a high-pitched, piercing sound like that of a clarion. 

  • To announce or herald (something) clearly, especially so as to stir or unite people. 

adj
  • Of a sound, a voice, a message, etc.: brilliantly clear. 

noun
  • An organ stop consisting of pipes with reeds giving a high-pitched note like that of a clarion (sense 1). 

  • A charge thought to represent a type of wind instrument, a keyboard instrument like a spinet, or perhaps a rest used by a knight to support a lance during jousting. 

  • A medieval brass instrument chiefly used as a battle signal; related to the trumpet, it had a narrow, straight pipe and a high-pitched, piercing sound. 

  • The sound of a clarion (sense 1), or any sound resembling the loud, high-pitched note of a clarion. 

hum

verb
  • To express by humming. 

  • To produce low sounds which blend continuously 

  • To reek, smell bad. 

  • To make a sound from the vocal chords without pronouncing any real words, with one's lips closed. 

  • To drone like certain insects naturally do in motion, or sounding similarly 

  • To buzz, be busily active like a beehive 

noun
  • Unpleasant odour. 

  • A phenomenon, or collection of phenomena, involving widespread reports of a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise not audible to all people. 

  • Busy activity, like the buzz of a beehive. 

  • A hummed tune, i.e. created orally with lips closed. 

  • An often indistinct sound resembling human humming. 

intj
  • Synonym of um: a noise indicating doubt, uncertainty, &c. 

  • Synonym of hmm: a noise indicating thought, consideration, &c. 

How often have the words clarion and hum occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )