tympany
- noun
- /ˈtɪmpəni/
- Specialized
:
sonido timpánico
- The presence of tympany indicated that the patient might have an underlying digestive issue that required further investigation.
Examples
-
During the medical assessment, the nurse listened for tympany in the patient's stomach to check for any signs of gas buildup.
-
A low tympany roll is heard from the stage.
Fiction book (2002) -
A slow rolling tympany is heard.
Fiction book (2002) -
The doctor noted that the patient's abdomen was distended, producing a characteristic tympany upon examination.
Synonyms
A swollen belly caused by trapped gas in the stomach or intestines
A swollen state often caused by gas in a body part
A swelling in a part of the body, often after injury or infection
How Hollow
Surface Forms
Morphology
tympany = tympanum (opaque) = tympan + y
Though historically from a word for 'drum' (tympanum), the medical sense 'abdominal swelling caused by gas' is not derivable by typical learners from the base.
Etymology
Tympany comes from the Greek and Latin word tympanum, which means 'drum'. In medicine it describes a drum-like sound or a belly swollen with gas, because a gas-filled belly makes a hollow, drum-like sound when a doctor taps it.