cymbal

[ sim-buh l ]

/ ˈsɪm bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cymbal ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a concave plate of brass or bronze that produces a sharp, ringing sound when struck: played either in pairs, by being struck together, or singly, by being struck with a drumstick or the like.

Nearby words

cyma reversa, cymaise, cymar, cymation, cymatium, cymbal, cymbalo, cymbalom, cymbalon, cymbals, cymbeline

Origin of cymbal

before 900; Middle English; Old English cymbala < Medieval Latin, variant of cymbalum < Latin < Greek kýmbalon, variant of kýmbos, kýmbē hollow object

Related forms

cym·bal·er, cym·bal·eer, cym·bal·ist, nouncym·bal·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cymbal

His neck is always craned, ears pricked, waiting for cymbal splash of Art happening.
Geoff Dyer Takes on Andrei Tarkovsky’s Film ‘Stalker’ in ‘Zona’|Chris Wallace|February 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The air rings with music as they come, bass and tenor and shrill treble mingling with the sound of lute and cymbal.
Renaissance in Italy: Italian Literature|John Addington Symonds
Yet long since was I weaned from desire of a home, and think of Egypt but as the cymbal sounds.'
Life Without and Life Within|Margaret Fuller
We shall then lay bare the mechanism which produces the sound, the cymbal.
Social Life in the Insect World|J. H. Fabre

With noise of bell and cymbal, they ran leaping through an enchanted Piccadilly seen in amber or cornelian.
Carnival|Compton Mackenzie
The extinct cri-cri comes to life again; at each jerk there is a clash of the cymbal.
Social Life in the Insect World|J. H. Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for cymbal

cymbal

/ (ˈsɪmbəl) /

noun

a percussion instrument of indefinite pitch consisting of a thin circular piece of brass, which vibrates when clashed together with another cymbal or struck with a stick

Derived Forms

cymbaler, cymbaleer or cymbalist, nouncymbal-like, adjective

Word Origin for cymbal

Old English cymbala, from Medieval Latin, from Latin cymbalum, from Greek kumbalon, from kumbē something hollow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for cymbal

cymbal

A large, round metal plate used as a percussion instrument. Cymbals can be crashed together in pairs or struck singly with a drumstick, and they are used in dance bands, jazz bands, and orchestras.