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timpani

or tym·pa·ni

[ tim-puh-nee ]
/ ˈtɪm pə ni /
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noun (used with a singular or plural verb)
a set of kettledrums, especially as used in an orchestra or band.
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Origin of timpani

<Italian, plural of timpano kettledrum <Latin tympanum<Greek týmpanon

OTHER WORDS FROM timpani

tim·pa·nist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for timpani

timpani

tympani

/ (ˈtɪmpənɪ) /

pl n
(sometimes functioning as singular) a set of kettledrums, two or more in numberOften (informal) shortened to: timps

Derived forms of timpani

timpanist or tympanist, noun

Word Origin for timpani

from Italian, pl of timpano kettledrum, from Latin: tympanum
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

Cultural definitions for timpani

timpani
[ (tim-puh-nee) ]

Italian for kettledrums; the term timpani is often preferred by composers and performers.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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