tambour

American  

[tam-boor, tam-boor] / ˈtæm bʊər, tæmˈbʊər /

noun

1. Music. a drum.

2. a drum player.

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

4. embroidery done on such a frame.

5. 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.

6. Architecture. drum.

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

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verb (used with or without object)

tambours, present (3rd person singular) tamboured, past participle, past tambouring present participle

1. to embroider on a tambour.

tambour British  

/ ˈtæmbʊə /

noun

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

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

3. embroidered work done on such a frame

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

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

6. a drum

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verb

1. to embroider (fabric or a design) on a tambour

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• tambouring
  present
• tamboured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tambour
  simple
• tambours
  simple
• have tamboured
  perfect
• has tamboured
  perfect
• am tambouring
  progressive
• are tambouring
  progressive
• is tambouring
  progressive
• have been tambouring
  perfect progressive
• has been tambouring
  perfect progressive

Past

• tamboured
  simple
• had tamboured
  perfect
• was tambouring
  progressive
• were tambouring
  progressive
• had been tambouring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tambour
  simple
• will have tamboured
  perfect
• will be tambouring
  progressive
• will have been tambouring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tambour

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

Example Sentences

“This is Jean-Pierre Calodat,” said Josée Grard, 81, running her fingers along the name written on the globe-shaped sculpture as tambour drums echoed around her.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2024

But when she tried her hand at drapo, which traditionally involved only sequins, she found that tambour and beadwork opened new possibilities in contour, depth and detail.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2023

It is a hybrid instrument - his invention - combining the neck of an guitar with a traditional four-stringed tambour.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2022

An enclosed galley is amidships, adjacent to a family-style dining/game room area that can be closed off with a sliding tambour bulkhead.

From Time Magazine Archive

Their British patent 8,948 stated it was for “improvements in producing ornamental or tambour work in the manufacture of gloves.”

From The Invention of the Sewing Machine by Cooper, Grace Rogers