tambourine

tam·bou·rine

noun \ˌtam-bə-ˈrēn\

Definition of TAMBOURINE

: a small drum; especially : a shallow one-headed drum with loose metallic disks at the sides played especially by shaking or striking with the hand

Illustration of TAMBOURINE

Origin of TAMBOURINE

Middle French tambourin, diminutive of tambour

First Known Use: 1579

Rhymes with TAMBOURINE

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tambourine

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Small frame drum with one skin nailed or glued to a shallow circular frame, into which jingles or pellet bells are set. It is held with one hand and struck with the other, or simply shaken. Tambourines were played in ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome, especially in religious contexts, and they have long been prominent in Middle Eastern folk and religious use. Crusaders took them to Europe in the 13th century.