Lacking excitement or variety; monotonously dull.
Formed in the 16th century as a reduplication (repetition) of 'hum,' imitating monotonous droning sounds. The repetitive structure of the word itself mirrors the repetitive, boring quality it describes.
The word sounds like what it means — 'hum-drum' mimics the monotonous droning of boring repetition! It's onomatopoeia at work, where the sound structure creates the meaning through dull repetition.
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