per ‧ cus ‧ sion /pəˈkʌʃ ə n $ pər-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: percussio 'act of hitting' , from percutere 'to hit hard' ]
1 . musical instruments such as drums, bells etc which you play by hitting them:
Tonight we have Paul Duke on percussion (=playing a percussion instrument) .
a range of percussion instruments
⇨ ↑ brass (2), ↑ stringed instrument , ↑ wind instrument , ↑ woodwind
2 . the percussion (section) the people in an ↑ orchestra or band who play musical instruments such as drums, bells etc
3 . formal the sound or effect of two things hitting each other with great force
—percussionist noun [countable]