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Tympanum   /tˈɪmpənəm/   Listen
Tympanum

noun
(pl. E. tympanums, L. tympana)
1.
The main cavity of the ear; between the eardrum and the inner ear.  Synonyms: middle ear, tympanic cavity.
2.
The membrane in the ear that vibrates to sound.  Synonyms: eardrum, myringa, tympanic membrane.
3.
A large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it.  Synonyms: kettle, kettledrum, timpani, tympani.






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"Tympanum" Quotes from Famous Books



... pillars where they face the rock, so that the unfortunate prisoners chained there were even bereft of light.... The fifth column is said to be the one to which Bonivard was chained during four years. Byron's name is carved on the southern side of the third column ... on the seventh tympanum, at about 1 metre 45 from the lower edge of the shaft." Much has been written for and against the authenticity of this inscription, which, according to M. Naef, the author of Guide, was carved by Byron himself, "with ...
— The Works of Lord Byron, Volume 4 • Lord Byron

... struck him plump in his eye of fire; mine seemed to drop sparks with sympathy: he bounded up ten feet high—he shrieked, and fell stone dead; Gods, what a shriek it was; I fancy even now I have that shriek and its hill-echo chained to the tympanum of my ear, like the shriek of the shipwrecked hanging over the sea—heavens! it was a pity to slay a king I thought, as I saw him fall in his pride and strength; but by some irresistible instinct, my own gun, pulled, ...
— The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 19, No. - 537, March 10, 1832 • Various

... open roof put up in 1881, at a cost of 250 pounds. The nave was restored in 1891, at a cost of 300 pounds. The sanctuary was paved with Minton tiles by the late Lady Dymoke. The most remarkable feature is a semi-circular tympanum over the door in the south porch, which is of early Norman, or possibly Saxon date. It has sculptured on it in somewhat rude fashion a Maltese cross within a circle, a second circle running through the ...
— A History of Horncastle - from the earliest period to the present time • James Conway Walter

... mile and a half, and passing a disused churchyard, with two or three gravestones and no church, at Dalderby, we reach the village of Haltham. Here we have a church of considerable interest. Taking the exterior first, we find a remarkable semi-circular tympanum over the door, within the porch on the south. It has a kind of Maltese cross within a circle, with a second circle running through the limbs of the cross. Below this is a small round object, with an oblong on each side of it; and below them, to the east, is an oval figure ...
— Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood - Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other Matter • J. Conway Walter

... to have had no ear for a tune, however perfect as to rhyme and rhythm; and there are those who suppose my tympanum to be similarly deficient, though I persistently dispute it. Living (when at Norwood) within constant free hearing of the best music in the world, at the Crystal Palace, I ought to be musical, if not always so accredited; ...
— My Life as an Author • Martin Farquhar Tupper


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