tambour

1 of 2

noun

tam·​bour ˈtam-ˌbu̇r 

tam-ˈbu̇r

1

: drum entry 1 sense 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

tambour

2 of 2

verb

tamboured; tambouring; tambours

transitive verb

: to embroider (cloth) with tambour

intransitive verb

: to work at a tambour frame

tambourer noun

Examples of tambour in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Just before the final match starts, a tambour player beats out rhythms. —Catherine Porter James Hill, New York Times, 25 July 2023

Alongside the loveseat is a tambour credenza by Peca, sourced from 1stDibs, and a textured woven artwork by Hiroko Takeda from Colony. —Oliver Cano, ELLE Decor, 23 June 2023

So the secret to this house is tambour. —Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, 22 Nov. 2020

The birch-plywood closet, with tambour doors. —Sarah Medford, WSJ, 4 Mar. 2022

Their unique materials went beyond tambour. —Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, 22 Nov. 2020

So many things reflect the writing life: a Renaissance Revival writing table, a small tambour George III writing desk. —Roxana Robinson, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2022

Inspired by feng shui principals, the architects clad the island, storage spaces, and appliances entirely in undulating pale oak tambour. —Charles Curkin, ELLE Decor, 18 July 2022

Flexible tambour sheets wrap snuggly around the posts at the end of the bar that would have been too costly to relocate. —BostonGlobe.com, 2 Apr. 2021

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1774, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Medical Definition

tambour

noun

tam·​bour ˈtam-ˌbu̇(ə)r, tam-ˈ 

: 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)