Definition of tympanum
plural tympana
play
\-nə\
also tympanums
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
