I. ˈtamˌbu̇(ə)r, ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: French, drum, from Middle French, from Arabic ṭanbūr, modification (influenced by ṭunbūr, a lute) of Persian tabīr
1. also tam·bor -bȯ(ə)r
a. : drum I 1
b. : drummer 1
2.
a. : drum I 4a(1)
b. : bell I 5e
c. : a circular wall (as one supporting a dome)
d. : a sloping buttress or projection (as in court tennis or fives) for deflecting a ball that strikes it
3.
a. : an embroidery frame ; especially : a set of two interlocking hoops between which cloth is stretched before stitching
b. : the embroidery made on a tambour frame ; especially : embroidery consisting of looped stitches similar to chain stitch and worked with a fine hook
c. : tambour lace
4. : a shallow metallic cup or drum with a thin elastic membrane supporting a writing lever used singly or in groups to transmit and register arterial pulsations, blood pressure, respiratory movements, peristaltic contractions, and other slight motions (as of speech)
5. : a rolling top or front (as of a desk) composed of narrow half-round strips of wood glued on canvas
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to embroider (cloth) with tambour
intransitive verb
: to work at a tambour frame
• tam·bour·er -u̇rə(r) noun -s