tympanum
Other forms: tympana; tympanums
A tympanum is the ear cavity or eardrum of certain animals. You can also refer to your eardrum as a tympanum — or to be really fancy you can call it a tympanic membrane.
It's more common to use tympanum to talk about an insect's or amphibian's ear rather than to use the word to refer to a human eardrum. In ancient Greece and Rome, a tympanum was a small, hand-held drum, similar to a tambourine. The Greek version of the word was tympanon, from the root typtein, "to beat or strike."
Definitions of tympanum
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the main cavity of the ear; between the eardrum and the inner ear
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synonyms:
middle ear, tympanic cavity
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type of:
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bodily cavity, cavity, cavum
(anatomy) a natural hollow or sinus within the body
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bodily cavity, cavity, cavum
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the membrane in the ear that vibrates to sound
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synonyms:
eardrum, myringa, tympanic membrane
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types:
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perforated eardrum
an eardrum with a hole or tear in it; can interfere with normal hearing and cause other ear problems
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type of:
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membrane, tissue layer
a pliable sheet of tissue that covers or lines or connects the organs or cells of animals or plants
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perforated eardrum
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a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it
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synonyms:
kettle, kettledrum, timpani, tympani
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type of:
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percussion instrument, percussive instrument
a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking another
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percussion instrument, percussive instrument
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