Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A large copper or brass hemispherical drum with a parchment head that can be tuned by adjusting the tension.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A musical instrument used in military bands and in orchestras, consisting of a hollow brass hemisphere from 24 to 30 inches in diameter, over which is stretched a head of parchment. It is sounded by blows from a soft-headed, elastic mallet or stick. The pitch of the tone is determined by various devices for adjusting the tension of the head. In orchestral music two or more kettledrums (technically called
timpani ) are employed, tuned at different pitches, usually at the tonic and the dominant of the piece to be performed. As the pitch may be accurately fixed, kettledrums are much used, in conjunction with other instruments, for emphasizing the rhythm, and for increasing the sonority of the general effect. They are also much used in short solo passages; and various experiments have been made, with extended and elaborate effects, with a large number of drums. - n. A fashionable afternoon entertainment given by a woman chiefly to women. It is less formal than an evening party, and the ladyguests generally wear bonnets. Also drum.
- To drum (on the kettledrum); sound like a kettledrum.
Wiktionary
- n. music A large hemispherical brass percussion instrument (one of the timpani) with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting its tension.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Mus.) A drum made of thin copper in the form of hemispherical kettle, with parchment stretched over the mouth of it.
- n. An informal social party at which a light collation is offered, held in the afternoon or early evening. Cf. Drum, n., 4 and 5.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it
Etymologies
- kettle + drum (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Of course the play upon this meaning of the word and the instrument called a kettledrum is intentional, the word "drum" meaning a crowded "evening party," "drum," applying to the close packing, as, a drum of figs. Answer also received from A BUSY BEE.”
Little Folks A Magazine for the Young (Date of issue unknown)
“Kumran hearing of this was very angry, for the beating of a kettledrum is a sign of Empire.”
“So, although many a house is opened this winter at the same convenient hour, and with perhaps only the bouillon and tea-kettle and bit of cake or sandwich (for really no one wants more refreshment than this before dinner and after luncheon), the name of these afternoon entertainments has been by mutual consent dropped, and we no longer see the word "kettledrum" or "afternoon tea" on a card, but simply the date and the hour.”
“kettledrum' and that one's 'at home' you will be bored to death by hearing their version of it, so you might as well do one thing as the other.”
“Laughs I'm like the kettledrum just before the big splash!”
Walt Willey Weighs in on All My Children's New Love Triangle
“The origins of tabla repertoire and technique may be found in all three and in physical structure there are also elements of all three: the smaller pakhawaj head for the dayan, the naqqara kettledrum for the bayan, and the flexible use of the bass of the dholak.”
“I passed a couple of colorful beatniks playing on a warm wooden kettledrum and a beat-up guitar.”
“I commented over on your kettledrum site, but I just had to say that I am so glad you are doing these historical blogs.”
“Then he took out the copper kettledrum and beat it with the broidered strap, whereupon up came the dromedaries.”
“In my head, the words beat like a kettledrum: Let it be a challenge to you, Deni!”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘kettledrum’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11250 more...
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Percussion
Percussion instruments, excluding stringed ones such as piano, with drums, gongs, and bells tagged. Only mononyms are listed, so hi-hat and tom-tom are out. A gamelan is an assemblage of percussion...
drum, gong, bell, chime, cymbal, triangle, castanet, xylophone, glockenspiel, maraca, marimba, tambourine and 78 more...
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reginainsulae's Words
bliss, perfunctory, efficacy, blithe, plethora, bee, bathos, pathos, antepenultimate, concoction, succor, compunction and 18 more...
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my words.
ephemeral, ambivalence, symbiosis, ineffable, transcendental, momentous, zeppelin, agoraphobia, planetarium, cleverness, ambilevous, lambent and 67 more...
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