Tympans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large drum or the membrane of a drum used in music
2. A structure resembling a drum, often found in architecture as a decorative element
3. A term used in historical contexts to refer to the shallow, rounded chambers typical in certain types of buildings

Etymology: "Tympans" is the plural of "tympan," and the term's journey runs through a single Latin word that had already changed shape once. The Latin "tympanum" meant a drum, and in classical usage it could refer to a hand drum or tambourine. The medieval Latin form carried the word into the vocabulary of builders, where its drum-like shape was applied to a flat or recessed panel. The architectural sense rests on that resemblance. A tympanum is the space enclosed between a lintel and the arch above a doorway, and it is often filled with carved or painted decoration. The panel's flat, taut surface suggested the skin of a drum, so the same image that gave the word its musical meaning gave it a place in stone. The plural "tympans" simply refers to several such panels, whether in one building or across many.