Definition of tympanum

• n. - The ear drum, or middle ear. Sometimes applied incorrectly to the tympanic membrane. See Ear.
• n. - A chamber in the anterior part of the syrinx of birds.
• n. - One of the naked, inflatable air sacs on the neck of the prairie chicken and other species of grouse.
• n. - The recessed face of a pediment within the frame made by the upper and lower cornices, being usually a triangular space or table.
• n. - The space within an arch, and above a lintel or a subordinate arch, spanning the opening below the arch.
• n. - A drum-shaped wheel with spirally curved partitions by which water is raised to the axis when the wheel revolves with the lower part of the circumference submerged, -- used for raising water, as for irrigation.