PERCUSSION

percussion

(noun) the act of exploding a percussion cap

percussion

(noun) the act of playing a percussion instrument

percussion, pleximetry

(noun) tapping a part of the body for diagnostic purposes

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

percussion (countable and uncountable, plural percussions)

(countable) The collision of two bodies in order to produce a sound.

(countable) The sound so produced.

(countable) The detonation of a percussion cap in a firearm.

(medicine) The tapping of the body as an aid to medical diagnosis.

(music) The section of an orchestra or band containing percussion instruments; such instruments considered as a group; in bands, may be separate from drum kits.

(engineering) The repeated striking of an object to break or shape it, as in percussion drilling.

(palmistry) The outer side of the hand.

Anagrams

• coin purses, croupiness, supersonic

Source: Wiktionary

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Per*cus"sion, n. Etym: [L. percussio: cf. F. percussion. See Percuss.]

1. The act of percussing, or striking one body against another; forcible collision, esp. such as gives a sound or report. Sir I. Newton.

2. Hence: The effect of violent collision; vibratory shock; impression of sound on the ear. The thunderlike percussion of thy sounds. Shak.

3. (Med.)

Definition: The act of tapping or striking the surface of the body in order to learn the condition of the parts beneath by the sound emitted or the sensation imparted to the fingers. Percussion is said to be immediate if the blow is directly upon the body; if some interventing substance, as a pleximeter, is, used, it is called mediate. Center of percussion. See under Center.

– Percussion bullet, a bullet containing a substance which is exploded by percussion; an explosive bullet.

– Percussion cap, a small copper cap or cup, containing fulminating powder, and used with a percussion lock to explode gunpowder.

– Percussion fuze. See under Fuze.

– Percussion lock, the lock of a gun that is fired by percussion upon fulminating powder.

– Percussion match, a match which ignites by percussion.

– Percussion powder, powder so composed as to ignite by slight percussion; fulminating powder.

– Percussion sieve, Percussion table, a machine for sorting ores by agitation in running water.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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