drum

Etymology 1

Perhaps back-formation from drumslade (“drummer”), from Middle Dutch trommelslach (“drumbeat”), from trommel (“drum”) + slach (“beat”) (Dutch slag). Or perhaps borrowed directly from a continental Germanic language; compare Middle Dutch tromme (“drum”), Middle Low German trumme (“drum”) et al. Compare also Middle High German trumme, trumbe (“drum”), Old High German trumba (“trumpet”).

noun

1. A percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber; a membranophone.
   In the Province of Xenſi, near the City Vucung, is a Hill called Taipe, which if a Drum be beaten upon it, preſently followeth Thunder, Lightning, and ſtormy weather, inſomuch that the Magiſtrates have forbidden all perſons upon pain of death to beat any Drum there. 1669, John Nievhoff, “Of ſome THINGS more then NATURAL, and ſtrange POOLS.”, in John Ogilby, transl., An Embassy from the Eaſt-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China, London: John Macock, →OCLC, page 273
2. Any similar hollow, cylindrical object.
   Replace the drum unit of your printer.
3. A barrel or large cylindrical container for liquid transport and storage.
   The restaurant ordered ketchup in 50-gallon drums.
4. (US) Synonym of construction barrel
5. (architecture) The encircling wall that supports a dome or cupola.
6. (architecture) Any of the cylindrical blocks that make up the shaft of a pillar.
7. A drumfish (family Sciaenidae).
8. (Australia slang) A tip; a piece of information.
   ‘he is the darndest little speaker we got, so better sit there and listen to him while he gives you the drum and if you clean out your earholes you might get a bit of sense into your heads.’ 1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber, published 2003, page 258

verb

1. (intransitive) To beat a drum.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To beat with a rapid succession of strokes.
   The ruffed grouse drums with his wings.
3. (transitive) To drill or review in an attempt to establish memorization.
   He’s still trying to drum Spanish verb conjugations into my head.
4. To throb, as the heart.
5. To go about, as a drummer does, to gather recruits, to draw or secure partisans, customers, etc.; used with for.
6. Of various animals, to make a vocalisation or mechanical sound that resembles drumming.
   "There is the snipe drumming also. We shall have it fine!" he added, with an air of conviction. 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 85

Etymology 2

From Irish druim, Scottish Gaelic druim (“back, ridge”).

noun

1. (now rare) A small hill or ridge of hills.

Etymology 3

Unknown.

noun

1. (now historical) A social gathering or assembly held in the evening.
   Another misfortune which befel poor Sophia, was the company of Lord Fellamar, whom she met at the opera, and who attended her to the drum. Folio Society 1973, page 631
2. (slang, chiefly UK) A person's home; a house or other building, especially when insalubrious; a tavern, a brothel.

Etymology 4

Shortening.

noun

1. (informal) A drumstick (of chicken, turkey, etc).
   Add, thinly sliced, 1/2 to 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic also sliced, your choice of protein – chicken or turkey breast, or low fat beef, veal, lamb or pork, cut in pieces, or skinless chicken drums, and probably a little water. Then add 1/2 a cup of ... 2006, Helene Andreu, Dance, movemet, and nutrition, AuthorHouse, page 138
   In a large frying pan, add some canola oil and half of the chicken drums and brown them on both sides. Repeat the procedure until all drums are browned. Place them in a medium baking pan. To the browned chicken drums, add sliced onion, ... 2010, Nadejda Reilly, Ukrainian Cuisine with an American Touch and Ingredients, page 253
   3–5 pounds chicken drums and thighs, with skin Hot sauce to taste 1. In a gallon resealable plastic bag, add flour, pepper, and salt. Shake to mix. […] 2010, Lisa Lamme, The Gypsy Kitchen: Transform Almost Nothing into Something Delicious with Not-So-Secret Ingredients, Simon and Schuster
   Up top, a pained expression, her eating face. My mom doesn't eat for taste, she does it to stay alive. Probably wouldn't eat if she didn't have to. I grab a new chopstick and when I get back there's a chicken drum on my plate. “Thanks, Ba,” I say. 2016, Melanie Mah, The Sweetest One, Cormorant Books
   To stir the whole, he used a chicken drum. 2016, Astroglo DeCerveau, A Book of Good and Bad Things, Xlibris Corporation
   When noon came the next day, the two guards came in with a plate of […] chicken drums and pork braised in soy sauce, plus some vegetables. 2017, Daniel Young, Stuart Barnes, Tincture Journal Issue Eighteen (Winter 2017), Tincture Journal