venous hum

Hum \Hum\, n.
   1. A low monotonous noise, as of bees in flight, of a swiftly
      revolving top, of a wheel, or the like; a drone; a buzz.
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            The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums. --Shak.
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   2. Any inarticulate and buzzing sound; as:
      (a) The confused noise of a crowd or of machinery, etc.,
          heard at a distance; as, the hum of industry.
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                But 'midst the crowd, the hum, the shock of men.
                                                  --Byron.
      (b) A buzz or murmur, as of approbation. --Macaulay.
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   3. An imposition or hoax.
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   4. [Cf. {Hem}, interj.] An inarticulate nasal sound or
      murmur, like h'm, uttered by a speaker in pause from
      embarrassment, affectation, etc.
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            These shrugs, these hums and ha's.    --Shak.
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   5. [Perh. so called because strongly intoxicating.] A kind of
      strong drink formerly used. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl.
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   {Venous hum}. See under {Venous}.
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Venous \Ven"ous\, a. [L. venosus, from vena a vein. See {Vein}.]
   1. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to a vein or veins; as, the
      venous circulation of the blood.
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   2. Contained in the veins, or having the same qualities as if
      contained in the veins, that is, having a dark bluish
      color and containing an insufficient amount of oxygen so
      as no longer to be fit for oxygenating the tissues; --
      said of the blood, and opposed to arterial.
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   3. Marked with veins; veined; as, a venous leaf.
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   {Venous leaf} (Bot.), a leaf having vessels branching, or
      variously divided, over its surface.

   {Venous hum} (Med.), a humming sound, or bruit, heard during
      auscultation of the veins of the neck in anaemia.

   {Venous pulse} (Physiol.), the pulse, or rhythmic
      contraction, sometimes seen in a vein, as in the neck,
      when there is an obstruction to the passage of blood from
      the auricles to the ventricles, or when there is an
      abnormal rigidity in the walls of the greater vessels.
      There is normally no pulse in a vein.
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