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timbre - 6 dictionary results

tim⋅bre

[tam-ber, tim-; Fr. tan-bruh ]
–noun
1. Acoustics, Phonetics. the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness, from which its source or manner of production can be inferred. Timbre depends on the relative strengths of the components of different frequencies, which are determined by resonance.
2. Music. the characteristic quality of sound produced by a particular instrument or voice; tone color.

Origin:
1325–75; ME tymbre < F: sound (orig. of bell), MF: bell, timbrel, drum, OF: drum < MGk tímbanon, var. of Gk týmpanon drum
tim·bre   (tām'bər, tĭm'-)   
n.  The combination of qualities of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds of the same pitch and volume.

[French, from Old French, drum, clapperless bell, probably from Medieval Greek *timbanon, drum, from Greek tumpanon, kettledrum.]

Timbre

Tim"bre\, n. See 1st Timber.

Timbre

Tim"bre\, n. [F., a bell to be struck with a hammer, sound, tone, stamp, crest, in OF., a timbrel. Cf. Timbrel.]

1. (Her.) The crest on a coat of arms.

2. (Mus.) The quality or tone distinguishing voices or instruments; tone color; clang tint; as, the timbre of the voice; the timbre of a violin. See Tone, and Partial tones, under Partial.
Language Translation for : timbre
Spanish: timbre, campanilla,
German: die Klingel,
Japanese: ベル

timbre 
"characteristic quality of a musical sound," 1849, from Fr. timbre "quality of a sound," earlier "sound of a bell," from O.Fr., "bell without a clapper," originally "drum," probably via Medieval Gk. *timbanon, from Gk. tympanon "kettledrum" (see tympanum). Timbre was used in O.Fr. (13c.) and M.E. (14c.) to render L. tympanum in Ps. 150.

Main Entry: tim·bre
Variant: also tim·ber /'tam-b&r, 'tim-; 'tam(br&)/
Function: noun
: the quality givento a sound by its overtones: as a : the resonance by which the ear recognizes and identifies a voiced speech sound b : the quality of tone distinctive of a particularsinging voice or musical instrument —tim·bral /'tam-br&l, 'tim-/ adjective
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