'Tympanum' definitions:
Definition of 'tympanum'
From: WordNet
noun
The main cavity of the ear; between the eardrum and the inner ear [syn: middle ear, tympanic cavity, tympanum]
noun
noun
A large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it [syn: kettle, kettledrum, tympanum, tympani, timpani]
Definition of 'Tympanum'
From: GCIDE
- Tympanum \Tym"pa*num\, n.; pl. E. Tympanums, L. Tympana. [L., a kettledrum, a drum or wheel in machines, the triangular area in a pediment, the panel of a door, Gr. ty`mpanon, ty`panon, fr. ? to strike, beat. See Type, and cf. Timbrel.]
- 1. (Anat.) (a) The ear drum, or middle ear. Sometimes applied incorrectly to the tympanic membrane. See Ear. (b) A chamber in the anterior part of the syrinx of birds. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Zool.) One of the naked, inflatable air sacs on the neck of the prairie chicken and other species of grouse. [1913 Webster]
- 3. (Arch.) (a) The recessed face of a pediment within the frame made by the upper and lower cornices, being usually a triangular space or table. (b) The space within an arch, and above a lintel or a subordinate arch, spanning the opening below the arch. [1913 Webster]
- 4. (Mech.) A drum-shaped wheel with spirally curved partitions by which water is raised to the axis when the wheel revolves with the lower part of the circumference submerged, -- used for raising water, as for irrigation. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'tympanum'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- allantoic membrane,
- amnion,
- amniotic sac,
- anvil,
- arachnoid membrane,
- auditory apparatus,
- auditory canal,
- auditory meatus,
- auditory nerve,
- auditory ossicles,
- auditory tube,
- auricle,
- basement membrane,
- basilar membrane,
- bongo drum,
- bony labyrinth,
- cauliflower ear,
- cochlea,
- conch,
- concha,
- conga,
- conjuctiva,
- drum,
- drumhead,
- drumskin,
- drumstick,
- ear,
- ear lobe,
- eardrum,
- endolymph,
- Eustachian tube,
- external ear,
- hammer,
- hymen,
- incus,
- inner ear,
- jazz stick,
- kettle,
- kettledrum,
- lobe,
- lobule,
- lug,
- maidenhead,
- malleus,
- mastoid process,
- membrana serosa,
- membrana tympana,
- membrane,
- membranophone,
- meninges,
- meninx,
- middle ear,
- neurilemma,
- organ of Corti,
- outer ear,
- oval window,
- pellicle,
- pericardium,
- perilymph,
- perineurium,
- pinna,
- pleura,
- round window,
- secondary eardrum,
- semicircular canals,
- serosa,
- shell,
- side drum,
- snare,
- snare drum,
- stapes,
- stirrup,
- tabor,
- taboret,
- tabret,
- tam-tam,
- tambourine,
- tenor drum,
- timbrel,
- timpani,
- tom-tom,
- troll-drum,
- tymp stick,
- tympan,
- tympanic cavity,
- tympanic membrane,
- tympanon,
- velum,
- vestibule,
- war drum