TYMPANA

TYMPANUM

kettle, kettledrum, tympanum, tympani, timpani

(noun) a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it

eardrum, tympanum, tympanic membrane, myringa

(noun) the membrane in the ear that vibrates to sound

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Noun

tympana

plural of tympanum

Source: Wiktionary


TYMPANUM

Tym"pa*num, n.; pl. E. Tympanums, L. Tympana. Etym: [L., a kettledrum, a drum or wheel in machines, the triangular area in a pediment, the panel of a door, Gr. Type, and cf. Timbrel.]

1. (Anat.) (a) The ear drum, or middle ear. Sometimes applied incorrectly to the tympanic membrane. See Ear. (b) A chamber in the anterior part of the syrinx of birds.

2. (Zoöl.)

Definition: One of the naked, inflatable air sacs on the neck of the prairie chicken and other species of grouse.

3. (Arch.) (a) The recessed face of a pediment within the frame made by the upper and lower cornices, being usually a triangular space or table. (b) The space within an arch, and above a lintel or a subordinate arch, spanning the opening below the arch.

4. (Mech.)

Definition: A drum-shaped wheel with spirally curved partitions by which water is raised to the axis when the wheel revolves with the lower part of the circumference submerged, -- used for raising water, as for irrigation.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee starts as a yellow berry, changes into a red berry, and then is picked by hand to harvest. The red berry is de-shelled through a water soaking process and what’s left inside is the green coffee bean. This bean then dries in the sun for 3-5 days, where it is then packed and ready for sale.

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