TIMBAL Meaning of TIMBAL in English [ 'tɪmb(ə)l ]■ noun archaic a kettledrum.OriginC17: from Fr. ~e , alt. (influenced by cymbale 'cymbal') of obs. tamballe , from Sp. atabal , from Arab. aṭ-ṭabl 'the drum'. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004