noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
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"Tambourines are shy birds and do not tame easily."
"Rain tambourined on the stately square."
"I gave my dad a tambourine as a gift."
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.
Common synonyms include: bongo drum, conga, drum, drumhead, drumskin, drumstick.
I gave my dad a tambourine as a gift.
Pronounced /ˌtæm.bəˈɹiːn/.
From French tambourin (“little drum”), from French tambour (“drum”). Ultimately from Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr); see it and Persian تنبور for more.