timpani

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian timpani, plural of timpano (“drum”), from Latin tympanum (“drum”), from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon), from τύπτω (túptō, “I strike, I hit”).

noun

  1. (music) The set of precision kettledrums in an orchestra.
    Since the timpani is a legato instrument, a note must be allowed to sound and ring to achieve the full effect of the drum. 2010, Steven L. Schweizer, Timpani Tone and the Interpretation of Baroque and Classical Music, Oxford University Press, page 38

noun

  1. plural of timpano

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