tympanum

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun the main cavity of the ear; between the eardrum and the inner ear
noun the membrane in the ear that vibrates to sound
noun a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it

Borrowed from Latin tympanum (“a drum, timbrel, tambourine; the eardrum”). Doublet of timbre, timpani, timbal, and tymbal.

The tympanums, like a whirli- The midriff, like a montero-cap. gig. — Gargantua and Pantagruel, François Rabelais
Tympanum is used for a timbrel or drum, tympanidia a diminutive of it. — Cicero's Tusculan Disputations: Also, Treatises On The Nature Of The Gods, And On The Commonwealth, Marcus Tullius Cicero
—Sure, you’d burst the tympanum of her ear, man, Mr Dedalus said through smoke aroma, with an organ like yours. — Ulysses, James Joyce

middle ear, tympanic cavity

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