tambour

noun tam·bour \ ˈtam-ˌbu̇r , tam-ˈbu̇r \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Definition of tambour

1 : ¹drum 1

2 a : an embroidery frame; especially : a set of two interlocking hoops between which cloth is stretched before stitching

b : embroidery made on a tambour frame

3 : a shallow metallic cup or drum with a thin elastic membrane supporting a writing lever used to transmit and register slight motions (such as arterial pulsations)

4 : a rolling top or front (as of a rolltop desk) of narrow strips of wood glued on canvas

Recent Examples of tambour from the Web

This collection features eight killer tracks from the 70s and 80s, with Hassan accompanying his own soulful singing on amplified tambour-a five-string lyre-over percolating Daleeb rhythms from northern Sudan.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Drummer and composer Bill Harris on a Chicago iconoclast who can make an album feel like an epic film," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tambour.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tambour

Middle French, drum, from Arabic ṭanbūr, modification of Persian tabīr

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

tambour

verb

Definition of tambour

tamboured; tambouring; tambours

transitive verb

: to embroider (cloth) with tambour

intransitive verb

: to work at a tambour frame

—

tambourer

noun

First Known Use of tambour

1774

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Handicraft Terms

biscuit, darn, wrought

Medical Dictionary

tambour

noun tam·bour \ ˈtam-ˌbu̇(ə)r, tam-ˈ \

medical Definition of tambour

: a shallow metallic cup or drum with a thin elastic membrane supporting a writing lever used to transmit and register slight motions (as arterial pulsations and peristaltic contractions)