tambour

[ tam-boo r, tam-boo r ]

/ ˈtæm bʊər, tæmˈbʊər /

noun

Music. a drum.

a drum player.

Also called tabaret. a circular frame consisting of two hoops, one fitting within the other, in which cloth is stretched for embroidering.

embroidery done on such a frame.

Furniture. a flexible shutter used as a desk top or in place of a door, composed of a number of closely set wood strips attached to a piece of cloth, the whole sliding in grooves along the sides or at the top and bottom.

Architecture. drum¹(def 10).

Court Tennis. a sloping buttress opposite the penthouse, on the hazard side of the court.

verb (used with or without object)

to embroider on a tambour.

Nearby words

tamazight, tambac, tambala, tambo, tambora, tambour, tambour sound, tamboura, tambourin, tambourine, tambov

Origin of tambour

1475–85; < Middle French: drum ≪ Arabic tanbūr lute < Medieval Greek pandoúra; cf. bandore

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

Examples from the Web for tambour

The game was set to music, the measured beating of a tambour with the light chiming of silver bells.
Romance of Roman Villas|Elizabeth W. (Elizbeth Williams) Champney
According to Darmstetter the word ‘timbre’ is own brother to ‘tambour,’ both being derived from a low Latin form of tympanum.
Rustic Sounds|Francis Darwin
Chain and Tambour Stitch are in effect practically the same, and present the same rather granular surface.
Art in Needlework|Lewis F. Day
Add to that, an inclination for odd musical instruments—the kaithra, the tambour, the oboe—all nomad instruments.
Operation Haystack|Frank Patrick Herbert

The varieties of tambour work and open stitchery of various ornamental kinds were possible for all capacities.
The Development of Embroidery in America|Candace Wheeler

British Dictionary definitions for tambour

tambour

/ (ˈtæmbʊə) /

noun

real tennis the sloping buttress on one side of the receiver's end of the court

a small round embroidery frame, consisting of two concentric hoops over which the fabric is stretched while being worked

embroidered work done on such a frame

a sliding door on desks, cabinets, etc, made of thin strips of wood glued side by side onto a canvas backing

architect a wall that is circular in plan, esp one that supports a dome or one that is surrounded by a colonnade

a drum

verb

to embroider (fabric or a design) on a tambour

Word Origin for tambour

C15: from French, from tabour tabor

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