drum

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

drum

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɹʌm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌm

Etymology 1

Perhaps back-formation from drumslade (“drummer”), from Middle Dutch trommelslach (“drumbeat”), from trommel (“drum”) + slach (“beat”) (Dutch slag).

Or perhaps borrowed directly from a continental Germanic language; compare Middle Dutch tromme (“drum”), Middle Low German trumme (“drum”) et al. Compare also Middle High German trumme, trumbe (“drum”), Old High German trumba (“trumpet”).

Noun

drum (plural drums)

2. A percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber; a membranophone.

   Hypernym: percussion instrument

   He's playing the piano and she's playing the drums!

   • 1669, John Nievhoff, “Of ſome THINGS more then NATURAL, and ſtrange POOLS.”, in John Ogilby, transl., An Embassy from the Eaſt-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China‎, London: John Macock, →OCLC, page 273:

     In the Province of Xenſi, near the City Vucung, is a Hill called Taipe, which if a Drum be beaten upon it, preſently followeth Thunder, Lightning, and ſtormy weather, inſomuch that the Magiſtrates have forbidden all perſons upon pain of death to beat any Drum there.

3. Any similar hollow, cylindrical object.

   Replace the drum unit of your printer.

5. A barrel or large cylindrical container for liquid transport and storage.

   The restaurant ordered ketchup in 50-gallon drums.

6. (US) Synonym of construction barrel
8. (architecture) The encircling wall that supports a dome or cupola.
9. (architecture) Any of the cylindrical blocks that make up the shaft of a pillar.
10. A drumfish (family Sciaenidae).
11. (Australia slang) A tip; a piece of information.
    • 1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber, published 2003, page 258:

      ‘he is the darndest little speaker we got, so better sit there and listen to him while he gives you the drum and if you clean out your earholes you might get a bit of sense into your heads.’

12. (boxing, slang, obsolete) The ear.

Usage notes

When used in the plural, "drums" or "the drums" often specifically means a drum kit as used for contemporary styles such as rock or jazz; a classical percussionist would be very unlikely to say that they "play the drums" on a piece, even if the only parts they play are, indeed, drums (as opposed to marimba or xylophone or similar.)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• percussion

Verb

drum (third-person singular simple present drums, present participle drumming, simple past and past participle drummed)

1. (intransitive) To beat a drum.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To beat with a rapid succession of strokes.

   The ruffed grouse drums with his wings.

   • 1824, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], Tales of a Traveller, (please specify |part=1 to 4), Philadelphia, Pa.: H C Carey & I Lea, , →OCLC:

     drumming with his fingers on the arm of his chair

3. (transitive) To drill or review in an attempt to establish memorization.

   He’s still trying to drum Spanish verb conjugations into my head.

4. To throb, as the heart.
   • 1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: , London: Jo. Hindmarsh, , →OCLC, (please specify the page number):

     Now, heart, […] thou shalt drum no more.

5. To go about, as a drummer does, to gather recruits, to draw or secure partisans, customers, etc.; used with for.
6. Of various animals, to make a vocalisation or mechanical sound that resembles drumming.
   • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 85:

     "There is the snipe drumming also. We shall have it fine!" he added, with an air of conviction.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Irish druim, Scottish Gaelic druim (“back, ridge”).

Noun

drum (plural drums)

1. (now rare) A small hill or ridge of hills.

Usage notes

• Mainly encountered in place names, such as Drumglass and Drumsheugh.

Etymology 3

Unknown.

Noun

drum (plural drums)

1. (now historical) A social gathering or assembly held in the evening.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A Millar, , →OCLC:
     Folio Society 1973, page 631:

     Another misfortune which befel poor Sophia, was the company of Lord Fellamar, whom she met at the opera, and who attended her to the drum.

   • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle , volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., , →OCLC:

     [H]e was engaged in a partie of cards, at a drum in the house of a certain lady of quality […] .

2. (slang, chiefly UK) A person's home; a house or other building, especially when insalubrious; a tavern, a brothel.

Derived terms

• drummer (housebreaker; travelling salesman)

Etymology 4

Shortening.

Noun

drum (plural drums)

1. (informal) A drumstick (of chicken, turkey, etc).
   • 2006, Helene Andreu, Dance, movemet, and nutrition, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 138:

     Add, thinly sliced, 1/2 to 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic also sliced, your choice of protein – chicken or turkey breast, or low fat beef, veal, lamb or pork, cut in pieces, or skinless chicken drums, and probably a little water. Then add 1/2 a cup of ...

   • 2010, Nadejda Reilly, Ukrainian Cuisine with an American Touch and Ingredients, →ISBN, page 253:

     In a large frying pan, add some canola oil and half of the chicken drums and brown them on both sides. Repeat the procedure until all drums are browned. Place them in a medium baking pan. To the browned chicken drums, add sliced onion, ...

   • 2010, Lisa Lamme, The Gypsy Kitchen: Transform Almost Nothing into Something Delicious with Not-So-Secret Ingredients, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

     3–5 pounds chicken drums and thighs, with skin
     Hot sauce to taste
     1. In a gallon resealable plastic bag, add flour, pepper, and salt. Shake to mix. […]

   • 2016, Melanie Mah, The Sweetest One, Cormorant Books, →ISBN:

     Up top, a pained expression, her eating face. My mom doesn't eat for taste, she does it to stay alive. Probably wouldn't eat if she didn't have to. I grab a new chopstick and when I get back there's a chicken drum on my plate. “Thanks, Ba,” I say.

   • 2016, Astroglo DeCerveau, A Book of Good and Bad Things, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN:

     To stir the whole, he used a chicken drum.

   • 2017, Daniel Young, Stuart Barnes, Tincture Journal Issue Eighteen (Winter 2017), Tincture Journal, →ISBN:

     When noon came the next day, the two guards came in with a plate of […] chicken drums and pork braised in soy sauce, plus some vegetables.

References

• “drum”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• drumu

Etymology

Borrowed from Greek δρόμος (drómos, “road, track”). Compare Romanian drum.

Noun

drum n (plural drumuri)

1. road

Synonyms

• cali, sucachi

See also

• cãrari

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English drum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /drʏm/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: drum
• Rhymes: -ʏm

Noun

drum m (plural drums, diminutive drummetje n)

1. (music) drum, usually one belonging to a drum kit

Synonyms

• trommel

Derived terms

• drumstel

German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adverb

drum

1. Contraction of darum.

Further reading

• “drum” in Duden online
• “drum” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Italian

Etymology

From the tobacco brand.

Noun

drum m (invariable)

1. roll-your-own cigarette

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Greek δρόμος (drómos, “road, track”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdrum/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: drum

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

drum n (plural drumuri)

1. road

Declension

Related terms

See also

• stradă
• cale
• cărare
• șosea

Further reading

Language in Danger Andrew Dalby, 2003

• drum in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from Greek δρόμος (drómos, “road, track”).

Noun

drȕm m (Cyrillic spelling дру̏м)

1. road

Declension