Tympanum : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: Tympanum	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for Tympanum
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
tympanum n the main cavity of the ear; between the eardrum and the inner ear Synonym(s): middle ear, tympanic cavity, tympanum the membrane in the ear that vibrates to sound Synonym(s): eardrum, tympanum, tympanic membrane, myringa a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it Synonym(s): kettle, kettledrum, tympanum, tympani, timpani
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
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. [?], [?], 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. 2. (Zo[94]l.) One of the naked, inflatable air sacs on the neck of the prairie chicken and other species of grouse. 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. 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.