drumhead

[ druhm-hed ]

/ ˈdrʌmˌhɛd /

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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.

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Origin of drumhead

First recorded in 1615–25; drum¹ + head

Words nearby drumhead

drum brake, drum corps, drumette, drumfire, drumfish, drumhead, drumhead court-martial, drumhead service, drum into someone's head, drum kit, drumlin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use drumhead in a sentence

How can you catch trout with everything frozen as tight as a drumhead?
Left on the Labrador|Dillon Wallace
The paper, having been previously damped, in drying contracts and tightens like a drumhead.
Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects|C. V. Riley
When Josiah awoke the Mary Ellen was heeled over on her side, her sail as tight as a drumhead.
Cap'n Eri|Joseph Crosby Lincoln
A drumhead court-martial sentenced the young Virginian to receive one hundred lashes on the bare back.
Hero Stories from American History|Albert F. Blaisdell

In the back of his head there formed a little picture—a drumhead court-martial, a provost guard, a tree and a rope.
The Long Roll|Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for drumhead

drumhead

/ (ˈdrʌmˌhɛd) /

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

Medical definitions for drumhead

drumhead

[ drŭm′hĕd′ ]

eardrum