n.
Pronunciation: ' tim-p ə -n ə m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -na \ -n ə \ also -nums
Etymology: Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin, eardrum, from Latin, drum, architectural panel, from Greek tympanon drum, kettledrum; perhaps akin to Greek typtein to beat
Date: 1619
1 a (1) : TYMPANIC MEMBRANE (2) : MIDDLE EAR b : a thin tense membrane covering an organ of hearing of an insect ― see INSECT illustration c : a membranous resonator in a sound-producing organ
2 a : the recessed usually triangular face of a pediment within the frame made by the upper and lower cornices b : the space within an arch and above a lintel or a subordinate arch
1 tympanum 2a