kettledrum

American  

[ket-l-druhm] / ˈkɛt lˌdrʌm /

noun

1. a drum consisting of a hollow hemisphere of brass, copper, or fiberglass over which is stretched a skin, the tension of which can be modified by hand screws or foot pedals to vary the pitch.

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kettledrum British  

/ ˈkɛtəlˌdrʌm /

noun

1. a percussion instrument of definite pitch, consisting of a hollow bowl-like hemisphere covered with a skin or membrane, supported on a tripod or stand. The pitch may be adjusted by means of screws or pedals, which alter the tension of the skin

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kettledrum Cultural  

1. A drum consisting of a skin stretched over a large shell in the shape of a half-sphere. The pitch of the kettledrum can be changed by manipulating screws at the edge of the skin or pedals at the bottom of the drum. Kettledrums are usually used in classical music in sets of two or more and are known by their Italian name, timpani.

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Other Word Forms

• kettledrummer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of kettledrum

First recorded in 1595–1605; kettle + drum ¹

Explanation

A kettledrum is a very large drum typically consisting of a drum head stretched across a copper bowl. Most large orchestras include kettledrums in their percussion section. A typical set of kettledrums has four different sizes of drums, but some orchestras have eight or more. If you've ever noticed a sound like thunder in a classical piece of music, you're probably hearing the kettledrum. The word comes from the kettle-like shape of the drum's bowl, and kettledrums are also commonly called timpani.

Example Sentences

Writing in the Bauhaus Journal, he said that each production required an “appropriate aural expression,” but added, “For the time being, such simple stimulators as the gong and the kettledrum are enough.”

From New York Times • Aug. 22, 2019

The kettledrum thump of the furnace kicking on.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2018

He bowed again, and a kettledrum thundered to begin the premiere of Modernist Composer Henry Cowell's Concerto for Koto and Orchestra, the first concerto ever composed by a Westerner for the 1,100-year-old Japanese instrument.

From Time Magazine Archive

The 1944 Presidential campaign, which began as politely as a harpsichord duet, wound up with all the kettledrum banging of a Respighi crescendo.

From Time Magazine Archive

A kettledrum of a thump told him that life still breathed within the yards of white smock.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole