Tympani
/ˈtɪm.pə.ni/noun
Plural of tympanum; in music, a pair or set of kettle drums.
Did you know?The English musical term comes through Italian from Latin *tympanum*, ultimately from Greek *týmpanon*, which originally meant a drum or tambourine and is related to a word for a stretched skin or membrane.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tem-
“to beat, strike”
Ancient Greek
Greek
τύμπανον (týmpanon)
“a drum, tambourine”
Classical Latin
Latin
tympanum
“a drum, tambourine; later, a wheel-like or drum-shaped object”
Italian
Italian
timpano
“a drum; in music, kettledrum”
17th Century
English
tympani
“the kettledrums in an orchestra”
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