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
- Alternative spelling of timpani
Ancestry of “tympani”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | timpani | The set of precision kettledrums in an orchestra |
| 2 | Italian | timpani | plural of timpano |
| 3 | Italian | timpano | eardrum, tympanum; drum; gable, tympanum |
| 4 | Latin | tympanum | drum, timbrel, tambour, tambourine |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τύμπανον | drum, kettledrum; drumstick, staff, cudgel;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τύπτω | to beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewp- | to push, to stick |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |