tintinnabulum

American  

[tin-ti-nab-yuh-luhm] / ˌtɪn tɪˈnæb yə ləm /

noun

plural

tintinnabula

1. a small, tinkling bell or a set of bells played in succession.

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tintinnabulum British  

/ ˌtɪntɪˈnæbjʊləm /

noun

1. a small high-pitched bell

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Etymology

Origin of tintinnabulum

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin tintinnābulum “a bell,” derivative of tintinnāre “to ring, jangle,” reduplicated form of tintinnīre “to ring, jingle,” of imitative origin + -bulum noun suffix denoting instrument or vessel

Example Sentences

Often, in the repose of my mid-day, there reaches my ears a confused tintinnabulum from without.

From Walden by Thoreau, Henry David

These small bells were known at Rome from the earliest times, and called from their sounds tintinnabulum.

From Shorter Novels, Eighteenth Century The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia; The Castle of Otranto, a Gothic Story; Vathek, an Arabian Tale by Beckford, William

We did not know how to play a tin whistle or beat upon the tintinnabulum.

From Waysiders by O'Kelly, Seumas