Drum

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈdɹʌm/

Definitions

1. A hollow cylindrical instrument that produces sound when struck with sticks or hands
2. A cylindrical musical instrument designed to produce sound through rhythmic strikes, often utilized in diverse musical genres or for signaling purposes
3. A percussive cylindrical device that creates noise when hit, commonly used in music or as a signaling tool in various contexts

Etymology: The origin of "drum" is genuinely uncertain, and the leading candidates point in different directions. One possibility is that it is a back-formation from "drumslade", a word for a drummer, which in turn came from Middle Dutch "trommelslach", meaning "drumbeat", built from "trommel" (drum) and "slach" (beat). Another is that it was borrowed directly from a continental Germanic language, where forms like Middle Low German "trumme" and Old High German "trumba" (which originally meant "trumpet") appear. That second line of thought has a striking side branch: the ancient Greek "tumpanon", a kettledrum, is the ancestor of the English word "timbre", so the drum and the sound quality of a voice share a remote common root. A third suggestion links the word to Irish "druim" and Scottish Gaelic "druim", meaning "back" or "ridge", though this connection is not secure. Some sources give up entirely and call the origin unknown, and others suggest the word may simply be a shortening of an older form. Given how many explanations compete, the most honest summary is that English "drum" appears to be an imitative-sounding word whose exact ancestry was lost early.

Synonyms: percussion, tabor, bongos