Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tympani” come from?

Tympani comes from Italian timpani, from Latin tympanum, from Ancient Greek τύμπανον, ultimately from the root τύπτω meaning to strike, tracing back to Proto-Indo-European (s)tew-.

tympani (English): Alternative spelling of timpani

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of timpani

Ancestry of “tympani”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtimpaniThe set of precision kettledrums in an orchestra
2Italiantimpaniplural of timpano
3Italiantimpanoeardrum, tympanum; drum; gable, tympanum
4Latintympanumdrum, timbrel, tambour, tambourine
5Ancient Greekτύμπανονdrum, kettledrum; drumstick, staff, cudgel;...
6Ancient Greekτύπτωto beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself
7Proto-Indo-European(s)tewp-to push, to stick
8Proto-Indo-European(s)tew-to push, to hit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- →