drumhead court-martial
- a court-martial held, usually on a battlefield, for the summary trial of charges of offenses committed during military operations.
Origin of drumhead court-martial
First recorded in 1825–35; so called from the use of a drumhead as a table during the court-martial
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
drumhead court-martial
- a military court convened to hear urgent charges of offences committed in action
Word Origin
C19: from the use of a drumhead as a table around which the court-martial was held
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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