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tambourine

 - 4 dictionary results

tam⋅bou⋅rine

[tam-buh-reen]
–noun
a small drum consisting of a circular frame with a skin stretched over it and several pairs of metal jingles attached to the frame, played by striking with the knuckles, shaking, and the like.

Origin:
1570–80; earlier tamboryne < MD tamborijn small drum < MF tambourin or ML tamborīnum. See tambour, -ine 1


tam⋅bou⋅rin⋅ist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tam·bou·rine   (tām'bə-rēn')   
n.  
  1. A percussion instrument consisting of a small drumhead with jingling disks fitted into the rim, usually played by shaking and striking with the hand.

  2. A similar instrument without a drumhead.


[French tambourin, small drum, from Old French; see tambourin.]
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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Word Origin & History

tambourine 
1782, in the modern sense of "parchment-covered hoop with pieces of metal attached;" earlier "a small drum" (1579), from Fr. tambourin "long narrow drum used in Provence," dim. of tambour "drum," altered by infl. of Arabic tunbur "drum" (originally "lute") from O.Fr. tabour (see tabor). The sense evolutions present some difficulties, and in some 17c. and early 18c. references it is difficult to say what sort of instrument is intended. Earlier names for this type of instrument were tambour de basque (1688), also timbre and timbrel. Tambour itself is attested in Eng. from 1484.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

tambourine

small frame drum (one whose shell is too narrow to resonate the sound) having one or two skins nailed or glued to a shallow circular or polygonal frame. The tambourine is normally played with the bare hands and often has attached to it jingles, pellet bells, or snares. European tambourines typically have one skin and jingling disks set into the sides of the frame. The designation tambourine refers specifically to the European frame drum; however, the term is often extended to include all related frame drums, such as those of the Arabic countries, and sometimes those probably unrelated, such as the shaman's drums of Central Asia, North America, and the Arctic.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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