tymbal
1
9.9
A part on insects like cicadas that makes loud sound by vibrating
- noun
- /ˈtɪmbəl/
- Specialized
:
timbal
- The tymbals of cicadas create a unique sound that can be heard miles away in the warm summer air.
Examples
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During the mating season, male cicadas use their tymbals to produce loud, distinctive calls that attract females.
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When threatened, the cicada can rapidly vibrate its tymbals to produce piercing sounds as a defense mechanism.
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Similar though their mating signals may sound to us, each species vibrates its sound-producing tymbals at a slightly different frequency.
Academic text (2002)
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tymbal comes from the old word tympanum, which means 'drum'. So a tymbal is like a tiny drum on an insect's body that vibrates to make its loud sound.