tambourine
noun
- Pa fang ku, tambourine, Chinese
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˌtæm.bəˈɹiːn/
noun
Etymology: From French tambourin (“little drum”), from French tambour (“drum”). Ultimately from Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr); see it and Persian تنبور for more.
- A percussion instrument consisting of a small, usually wooden, hoop closed on one side with a drum frame and featuring jingling metal disks on the tread; it is most often held in the hand and shaken rhythmically; by extension, any frame drum.
- A tambourine dove (Turtur tympanistria).
“Tambourines are shy birds and do not tame easily.”
- A kind of Provençal dance.
- The music for this dance.
verb
Etymology: From French tambourin (“little drum”), from French tambour (“drum”). Ultimately from Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr); see it and Persian تنبور for more.
- To play the tambourine.
- To make a sound like a tambourine.
“Rain tambourined on the stately square.”