Main Entry: ¹drum

Pronunciation: \ˈdrəm\

Function: noun

Etymology: probably from Dutch trom; akin to Middle High German trumme drum

Date: 1539

1 : a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow shell or cylinder with a drumhead stretched over one or both ends that is beaten with the hands or with some implement (as a stick or wire brush)
2 : tympanic membrane
3 : the sound of a drum; also : a sound similar to that of a drum
4 : any of various chiefly marine bony fishes (family Sciaenidae) that make a drumming or croaking noise using their air bladder and associated muscles
5 : something resembling a drum in shape: as a (1) : any of the cylindrical blocks that form the shaft of a column (2) : a round wall or structure that supports a dome b : a cylindrical machine or mechanical device or part c : a cylindrical container; specifically : a large usually metal container for liquids <a 55-gallon drum> d : a disk-shaped magazine for an automatic weapon

— drum·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

[drum illustration]