3 definitions found From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Tympanum \Tym"pa*num\, n.; pl. E. {Tympanums}, L. {Tympana}. [L., a kettledrum, a drum or wheel in machines, the triangular area in a pediment, the panel of a door, Gr. ty`mpanon, ty`panon, fr. ? to strike, beat. See {Type}, and cf. {Timbrel}.] 1. (Anat.) (a) The ear drum, or middle ear. Sometimes applied incorrectly to the tympanic membrane. See {Ear}. (b) A chamber in the anterior part of the syrinx of birds. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zool.) One of the naked, inflatable air sacs on the neck of the prairie chicken and other species of grouse. [1913 Webster] 3. (Arch.) (a) The recessed face of a pediment within the frame made by the upper and lower cornices, being usually a triangular space or table. (b) The space within an arch, and above a lintel or a subordinate arch, spanning the opening below the arch. [1913 Webster] 4. (Mech.) A drum-shaped wheel with spirally curved partitions by which water is raised to the axis when the wheel revolves with the lower part of the circumference submerged, -- used for raising water, as for irrigation. [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]: tympanum n 1: the main cavity of the ear; between the eardrum and the inner ear [syn: {middle ear}, {tympanic cavity}] 2: the membrane in the ear that vibrates to sound [syn: {eardrum}, {tympanic membrane}, {myringa}] 3: a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it [syn: {kettle}, {kettledrum}, {tympani}, {timpani}] [also: {tympana} (pl)] From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]: tympana See {tympanum}
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