drum definition | Dictionary.com

drum

1 [druhm]

noun, plural drums, (especially collectively for 11) drum, verb, drummed, drum⋅ming.

–noun

1.	a musical percussion instrument consisting of a hollow, usually cylindrical, body covered at one or both ends with a tightly stretched membrane, or head, which is struck with the hand, a stick, or a pair of sticks, and typically produces a booming, tapping, or hollow sound.

2.	any hollow tree or similar object or device used in this way.

3.	the sound produced by such an instrument, object, or device.

4.	any rumbling or deep booming sound.

5.	a natural organ by which an animal produces a loud or bass sound.

eardrum.

7.	any cylindrical object with flat ends.

8.	a cylindrical part of a machine.

9.	a cylindrical box or receptacle, esp. a large, metal one for storing or transporting liquids.

10.

Also called tambour. Architecture.

a.	any of several cylindrical or nearly cylindrical stones laid one above the other to form a column or pier.

b.	a cylindrical or faceted construction supporting a dome.

11.	any of several marine and freshwater fishes of the family Sciaenidae that produce a drumming sound.

12.	Also called drum memory. Computers. magnetic drum.

13.	Archaic. an assembly of fashionable people at a private house in the evening.

14.	a person who plays the drum.

15.	Australian Informal. reliable, confidential, or profitable information: to give someone the drum.

–verb (used without object)

16.	to beat or play a drum.

17.	to beat on anything rhythmically, esp. to tap one's fingers rhythmically on a hard surface.

18.	to make a sound like that of a drum; resound.

19.	(of ruffed grouse and other birds) to produce a sound resembling drumming.

–verb (used with object)

20.	to beat (a drum) rhythmically; perform by beating a drum: to drum a rhythm for dancers.

21.	to call or summon by, or as if by, beating a drum.

22.	to drive or force by persistent repetition: to drum an idea into someone.

23.	to fill a drum with; store in a drum: to drum contaminated water and dispose of it.

—Verb phrases

24.

drum out,

a.	(formerly) to expel or dismiss from a military service in disgrace to the beat of a drum.

b.	to dismiss in disgrace: He was drummed out of the university for his gambling activities.

25.

drum up,

a.	to call or summon by, or as if by, beating a drum.

b.	to obtain or create (customers, trade, interest, etc.) through vigorous effort: They were unable to drum up enthusiasm for the new policies.

c.	to concoct; devise: to drum up new methods of dealing with urban crime.

—Idiom

26.	beat the drum, to promote, publicize, or advertise: The boss is out beating the drum for a new product.

Origin:
1535–45; back formation from drumslade drum, drummer, alter. of D or LG trommelslag drumbeat, equiv. to trommel drum + slag beat (akin to slagen to beat; c. slay )

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drum

2 [druhm]

–noun Scot., Irish English.

a long, narrow hill or ridge.

Origin:
1715–25; < Ir and ScotGael druim

magnetic drum

–noun Computers.

a cylinder coated with magnetic material, on which data and programs can be stored.

Also called drum.

Origin:
1945–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To drum

drum (drŭm)

1. A percussion instrument consisting of a hollow cylinder or hemisphere with a membrane stretched tightly over one or both ends, played by beating with the hands or sticks.
2. A sound produced by this instrument.
3. A circular or polygonal wall supporting a dome or cupola. Also called tambour.
4. Any of the cylindrical stone blocks that are stacked to form the shaft of a column.
Something resembling a drum in shape or structure, especially a barrellike metal container or a metal cylinder wound with cable, wire, or heavy rope.
Architecture
1. A circular or polygonal wall supporting a dome or cupola. Also called tambour.
2. Any of the cylindrical stone blocks that are stacked to form the shaft of a column.
Any of various marine and freshwater fishes of the family Sciaenidae that make a drumming sound.
Anatomy The eardrum.

v. drummed, drum·ming, drums

v. intr.

To play a drum or drums.
To thump or tap rhythmically or continually: nervously drummed on the table.
To produce a booming, reverberating sound by beating the wings, as certain birds do.

v. tr.

To perform (a piece or tune) on or as if on a drum.
To summon by or as if by beating a drum.
To make known to or force upon (a person) by constant repetition: drummed the answers into my head.
To expel or dismiss in disgrace. Often used with out: was drummed out of the army.

Phrasal Verb(s):
drum up

To bring about by continuous, persistent effort: drum up new business.
To devise; invent: drummed up an alibi.

[Middle English drom, probably alteration of Middle Dutch tromme, probably of imitative origin.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Drum

Drum\, n. [Cf. D. trom, trommel, LG. trumme, G. trommel, Dan. tromme, Sw. trumma, OHG. trumba a trumpet, Icel. pruma a clap of thunder, and as a verb, to thunder, Dan. drum a booming sound, drumme to boom; prob. partly at least of imitative origin; perh. akin to E. trum, or trumpet.]

1. (Mus.) An instrument of percussion, consisting either of a hollow cylinder, over each end of which is stretched a piece of skin or vellum, to be beaten with a stick; or of a metallic hemisphere (kettledrum) with a single piece of skin to be so beaten; the common instrument for marking time in martial music; one of the pair of tympani in an orchestra, or cavalry band.

The drums cry bud-a-dub. --Gascoigne.

2. Anything resembling a drum in form; as: (a) A sheet iron radiator, often in the shape of a drum, for warming an apartment by means of heat received from a stovepipe, or a cylindrical receiver for steam, etc. (b) A small cylindrical box in which figs, etc., are packed. (c) (Anat.) The tympanum of the ear; -- often, but incorrectly, applied to the tympanic membrane. (d) (Arch.) One of the cylindrical, or nearly cylindrical, blocks, of which the shaft of a column is composed; also, a vertical wall, whether circular or polygonal in plan, carrying a cupola or dome. (e) (Mach.) A cylinder on a revolving shaft, generally for the purpose of driving several pulleys, by means of belts or straps passing around its periphery; also, the barrel of a hoisting machine, on which the rope or chain is wound.

3. (Zo["o]l.) See Drumfish.

4. A noisy, tumultuous assembly of fashionable people at a private house; a rout. [Archaic]

Not unaptly styled a drum, from the noise and emptiness of the entertainment. --Smollett.

Note: There were also drum major, rout, tempest, and hurricane, differing only in degrees of multitude and uproar, as the significant name of each declares.

5. A tea party; a kettledrum. --G. Eliot.

Bass drum. See in the Vocabulary.

Double drum. See under Double.

Drum

Drum\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Drummed; p. pr. & vb. n. Drumming.]

1. To beat a drum with sticks; to beat or play a tune on a drum.

2. To beat with the fingers, as with drumsticks; to beat with a rapid succession of strokes; to make a noise like that of a beaten drum; as, the ruffed grouse drums with his wings.

Drumming with his fingers on the arm of his chair. --W. Irving.

3. To throb, as the heart. [R.] --Dryden.

4. To go about, as a drummer does, to gather recruits, to draw or secure partisans, customers, etc,; -- with for.

Drum

Drum\, v. t. 1. To execute on a drum, as a tune.

2. (With out) To expel ignominiously, with beat of drum; as, to drum out a deserter or rogue from a camp, etc.

3. (With up) To assemble by, or as by, beat of drum; to collect; to gather or draw by solicitation; as, to drum up recruits; to drum up customers.

Language Translation for : drum

Spanish: tambor,

German: die Trommel,

Japanese: ドラム

More Translations »

drum

adj, n. Ancient techspeak term referring to slow, cylindrical magnetic media that were once state-of-the-art storage devices. Under BSD Unix the disk partition used for swapping is still called `/dev/drum'; this has led to considerable humor and not a few straight-faced but utterly bogus `explanations' getting foisted on newbies. See also "The Story of Mel" in Appendix A.

Jargon File 4.2.0
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drum

1420s, from M.Du. tromme "drum," probably of imitative origin. Not common before 1575. To drum up (business, etc.) is Amer.Eng. 1839, from the old way of drawing a crowd. Drumstick is from 1589; applied to the lower joint of cooked fowl 1764.

Main Entry: drum
Pronunciation: 'dr&m
Function: noun
: TYMPANICMEMBRANE

drum (drŭm)
n.
See eardrum.

drum
Ancient slow, cylindrical magnetic media that were once state-of-the-art storage devices. Under BSD Unix the disk partition used for swapping is still called "/dev/drum"; this has led to considerable humour and not a few straight-faced but utterly bogus "explanations" getting foisted on newbies.
See also "The Story of Mel".
(1994-12-22)

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