Main Entry: tym·pa·num

Pronunciation: \ˈtim-pə-nəm\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural tym·pa·na \-nə\ also tym·pa·nums

Etymology: Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin, eardrum, from Latin, drum, architectural panel, from Greek tympanon drum, kettledrum; perhaps akin to Greek typtein to beat

Date: 1619

1 a (1) : tympanic membrane (2) : middle ear b : a thin tense membrane covering an organ of hearing of an insect — see insect illustration c : a membranous resonator in a sound-producing organ
2 a : the recessed usually triangular face of a pediment within the frame made by the upper and lower cornices b : the space within an arch and above a lintel or a subordinate arch

[tympanum illustration]