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Glite Dictionary
tympan

tympan

9.9
A hollow drum with a tight skin over both ends that you play by hitting
  • noun
  • /ˈtɪm.pən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tímpano
  • At the festival, the sound of the tympan echoed through the air, captivating the audience.

Examples

  • She learned to play the tympan, mastering the techniques needed for rhythmic percussion.

  • Your pulse lulls the tympans of my ears.

    The Notebook (2004)

  • Instead of tympan paper and packing (used to control the impression when printing), we use a sheet of metal on the press bed, giving the die a hard surface to cut against.

    Blog text (33)

  • The musician played the tympan during the orchestral performance, adding a deep rhythmic sound.

Synonyms

drum
vstympan
275 1.0

A hollow cylinder with a tight skin that you hit to make a beat

is the instrument with membranes stretched over both ends rather than one
tympani
vstympan
1 8.4

A large bowl-shaped drum played with mallets

is a double ended hollow cylinder instrument not a single bowl shape
tympany
vstympan
  • Archaic
9.9

A drum-like instrument played to make rhythm

is a specific hollow cylinder instrument name rather than an old generic word
membranophone
vstympan
  • Specialized
9.9

A musical instrument like a drum that makes sound when you hit a stretched skin

is the specific cylinder instrument rather than the whole instrument class
tympanum
vstympan
  • Archaic
9.9

A large round drum made of metal with a skin you can tighten to change the sound

is a hollow cylinder with membranes on both ends not a hemispherical kettle

Surface Forms

tympan singular
tympans plural

Etymology

Tympan comes from the old Greek word tympanon, which meant a small hand 'drum' and came from a verb meaning 'to strike'. So a tympan today is a drum-like instrument you hit to make rhythm, and it is like the eardrum called tympanum, which also vibrates when sound hits it.