Trommelfell

German

Etymology

From Trommel (“drum”) +‎ Fell (“animal skin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtʁɔməlˌfɛl/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Trommelfell n (genitive Trommelfells or Trommelfelles, plural Trommelfelle)

1. (music) drumhead
2. (anatomy) eardrum

Usage notes

• The anatomic sense—though etymologically a figurative use of the musical one—is now so predominant that there is a tendency to use other compounds for “drumhead”, such as Trommelbespannung, Trommelhaut, Trommelmembran, etc.

Further reading

• “Trommelfell” in Duden online