timpani
noun /ˈtɪmpəni/
/ˈtɪmpəni/
(also informal timps
[plural] /tɪmps/
/tɪmps/
)- enlarge imagea set of large metal drums (also called kettledrums) in an orchestraTopics Musicc2Word Originlate 19th cent.: from Italian, plural of timpano ‘kettledrum’, from Latin tympanum ‘drum’, from Greek tumpanon ‘drum’, based on tuptein ‘to strike’.