n.
Variant: also tim · ber
Pronunciation: ' tam-b ə r, ' tim-; ' tam(br ə )
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, bell struck by a hammer, from Old French, drum, from Middle Greek tymbanon kettledrum, from Greek tympanon ― more at TYMPANUM
Date: 1845
: the quality given to a sound by its overtones: as a : the resonance by which the ear recognizes and identifies a voiced speech sound b : the quality of tone distinctive of a particular singing voice or musical instrument
– tim · bral \ ' tam-br ə l, ' tim- \ adjective