Tympanum
/ˈtɪm.pə.nəm/noun
A drum or drum-like membrane, especially the eardrum or a hollow architectural space.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces to a Greek term for a drum, and that same root also gave English *tympani*—so a word for percussion ended up naming the thin membrane that lets you hear it.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
τύμπανον (týmpanon)
“a drum, tambourine, or drum-shaped object”
Latin
Lat
tympanum
“a drum or drum-like disk; later also the eardrum”
Late Latin / Medieval Latin
LLat
tympanum
“the eardrum; in architecture, a rounded or framed space”
Old French
OF
tympan
“the eardrum; a drum-like panel or surface”
Middle English
ME
tympan
“the eardrum or a drum-like part”
Modern English
En
tympanum
“the eardrum or a drum-like anatomical or architectural structure”