tambura

American

[tam-boor-uh] / tæmˈbʊər ə /

Also tamboura,

noun

an Asian musical instrument of the lute family having a small, round body and a long neck.

Etymology

Origin of tambura

< Hindi < Arabic ṭanbūr ( see tambour)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He also made a short recording singing an Indian raga,” Komal Reshab Asavari,” accompanied by Sara Miyamoto on tambura.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2025

Follow-up “Relativity Suite” is just as ambitious, a through-composed work weaving strands of Turkish and South Asian music with Chinese zither, Malian donso ngoni and Indian tambura.

From Washington Post • Apr. 29, 2021

While turbaned musicians, sitting cross-legged on the floor, thumped on queer-shaped drums with fingers, palms and sticks, clinked tiny cymbals and strummed the twangy, long-necked tambura, a flute spun its single thread of melody.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023