cymbal

Etymology

From Middle English cymbal, from Old English cimbal, cimbala and Old French cimbale, both from Latin cymbalum (“cymbal”), from Ancient Greek κύμβαλον (kúmbalon), from κύμβη (kúmbē, “bowl”). See also chime.

noun

  1. (music) A concave plate of brass or bronze that produces a sharp, ringing sound when struck: played either in pairs, by striking them together, or singly by striking with a drumstick or the like.
    I see the Crusaders' tumultuous armies—hark, how the cymbals clang ... 1881–82, Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, "The Mystic Trumpeter"

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