tympanum
/ˈtɪm.pən.əm/ noun
Forms tympanums tympana
- noun (archaic) A drum.
- noun (anatomy, zootomy) The eardrum (tympanic membrane, membrana tympanica).
- noun (anatomy, zootomy) The main portion of the middle ear: the tympanic cavity (cavitas tympani).
- noun (zootomy, entomology) A thin tense membrane covering the hearing organ on the leg or body of some insects, sometimes adapted (as in cicadas) for producing sound.
- noun (zootomy) A membranous resonator in a sound-producing organ in frogs and toads.
- noun (zootomy) (in certain birds) The labyrinth at the bottom of the windpipe.
- noun (architecture) A vertical recessed triangular space between the sides of a pediment, typically decorated.
- noun The recessed triangular space within an arch, and above a lintel or a subordinate arch, spanning the opening below the arch.
Synonyms
middle ear tympanic cavity eardrum tympanic membrane myringa kettle kettledrum tympani timpani
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin tympanum (“a drum, timbrel, tambourine; the eardrum”). Doublet of timbre, timpani, timbal, and tymbal.
Webster’s 1913
- noun (a) The ear drum, or middle ear. Sometimes applied incorrectly to the tympanic membrane. See Ear.
- noun One of the naked, inflatable air sacs on the neck of the prairie chicken and other species of grouse.
Etymology [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.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tympanum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details