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tympanum |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Tympanum \Tym"pa*num\, n.; pl E. {Tympanums}, L. {Tympana}. [L., a kettledrum, a drum or wheel in machines, the triangular area in a pediment, the panel of a door, Gr ?, ?, fr ? to strike, beat See {Type}, and cf {Timbrel}.] 1. (Anat.) a The ear drum, or middle ear. Sometimes applied incorrectly to the tympanic membrane. See {Ear}. b A chamber in the anterior part of the syrinx of birds. 2. (Zo["o]l.) One of the naked, inflatable air sacs on the neck of the prairie chicken and other species of grouse. 3. (Arch.) a The recessed face of a pediment within the frame made by the upper and lower cornices, being usually a triangular space or table. b The space within an arch, and above a lintel or a subordinate arch, spanning the opening below the arch. 4. (Mech.) A drum-shaped wheel with spirally curved partitions by which water is raised to the axis when the wheel revolves with the lower part of the circumference submerged, -- used for raising water, as for irrigation. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: tympanum n 1: the main cavity of the ear; between the eardrum and the inner ear [syn: {middle ear}, {tympanic cavity}] 2: the membrane in the ear that vibrates to sound [syn: {eardrum}, {tympanic membrane}] 3: a large hemispherical brass or copper drum with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it [syn: {kettle}, {kettledrum}, {tympani}, {timpani}]
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