percussion

[per-kuhsh-uhn]

noun

1. the striking of one body against another with some sharpness; impact; blow.

2. Medicine/Medical.,  the striking or tapping of the surface of a part of the body for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

3. the striking of a musical instrument to produce tones.

4. Music.

   1. the section of an orchestra or band comprising the percussion instruments.

   2. the percussion instruments themselves.

5. a sharp blow for detonating a percussion cap or the fuze of an artillery shell.

6. the striking of sound on the ear.

7. the act of percussing.

percussion

/ pəˈkʌʃən /

noun

1. the act, an instance, or an effect of percussing

2. music the family of instruments in which sound arises from the striking of materials with sticks, hammers, or the hands

3. music

   1. instruments of this family constituting a section of an orchestra, band, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a percussion ensemble

4. med the act of percussing a body surface

5. the act of exploding a percussion cap

percussion

1. A family of musical instruments played by striking their surfaces. Percussion instruments are used to accentuate and dramatize certain notes or rhythms and include instruments such as cymbals, drums, triangles, and xylophones. (See kettledrum, snare drum, and orchestra.)

Other Word Forms

• percussional adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of percussion¹

1535–45; < Latin percussiōn- (stem of percussiō ) a beating. See percuss, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of percussion¹

C16: from Latin percussiō, from percutere to hit; see _percuss

Example Sentences

Late in the album, the typically hushed “I Love You” tries something new, closing out with dramatic and bizarrely distorted percussion.

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Mr. Taylor is from a musical household and grew up in Arizona and Chicago, learning classical guitar and jazz percussion.

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A recent hypnotic percussion piece of diced rhythms and pureed textures is called “the so-called laws of nature.”

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Like the time Gabriel spends in Faith’s company, “The Predicament” is full of “sparks and kicks and swerves and percussions.”

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The striking “Porcelana,” about enduring pain for fleeting pleasure, has a woozy, dissonant arrangement that mixes woodwinds, shrieking strings, and skittering percussion.

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