drumhead

[druhm-hed]

noun

the membrane stretched upon a drum.

the top part of a capstan.

adjective

characteristic of a drumhead court-martial; carried out in summary fashion: a drumhead execution.

Nearby words

Origin of drumhead

First recorded in 1615–25; drum¹ + head

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

Examples from the Web for drumhead

A pea on a drumhead is a restful object in comparison with Watson on that ice-hill.
Chatterbox, 1906|Various
A drumhead court martial was held on the spot, and the verdict was a foregone conclusion.
The Soul of a Child|Edwin Bjorkman
Sometimes a drummer would find the drumhead greased or the snares loosened.
Ten years in the ranks, U.S. army|Augustus Meyers
But for British magnanimity a drumhead court-martial should have taken the place of the hospitality of the Ceylon planters.
The Great Boer War|Arthur Conan Doyle

The blood, drying in places, drew the skin as tight as a drumhead.
The Puppet Crown|Harold MacGrath

British Dictionary definitions for drumhead

drumhead

noun

music the part of a drum that is actually struck with a stick or the hand

the head of a capstan, pierced with holes for the capstan bars

another name for eardrum

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

Medicine definitions for drumhead

drumhead

[drŭm′hĕd′]

n.

eardrum