percussion

English

Etymology

From Middle English percussioun, from Middle French, Old French percussion, from Latin percussiō (“striking”), from percutiō (“I strike”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɚˈkʌʃən/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌʃən

Noun

percussion (countable and uncountable, plural percussions)

1. (countable) The collision of two bodies in order to produce a sound.
2. (countable) The sound so produced.
3. (countable) The detonation of a percussion cap in a firearm.
4. (medicine) The tapping of the body as an aid to medical diagnosis.
5. (music) The section of an orchestra or band containing percussion instruments; such instruments considered as a group; in bands, may be separate from drum kits.
6. (engineering) The repeated striking of an object to break or shape it, as in percussion drilling.
   • 1697, J[ohn] Evelyn, “Instructions How to Collect, and Procure such Medals as are Antique, and Rare; and to Distinguish the True from the False, for the Prevention of Frauds and Impostures”, in Numismata. A Discourse of Medals, Antient and Modern. […], London: […] Benj[amin] Tooke […], →OCLC, page 201:

     Moreover, a perfect Medal has its Profile and out-ſtroaks ſharp (Nummus aſper) and by no means rugged; the Figures clean and well poliſh'd; the Contours neatly trimm'd, and exactly round and carefully preſerv'd; that the Extancy and Relievos correſpond with the Ingraving, and have not ſuffer'd in Percuſſion; in all which, there is a certain Spirit of Antiquity and Excellency to be diſcern'd in Antient Medals almoſt inimitable.

7. (palmistry) The outer side of the hand.

Derived terms

• hand percussion
• percussion break
• percussion bullet
• percussion cap
• percussion fuse
• percussion hammer
• percussion idiophone
• percussion instrument
• percussionist
• percussion lock
• percussively

 

Related terms

• quash

Translations

collision producing a sound

• Bulgarian: стълкновение (bg) n (stǎlknovenie)
• Catalan: percussió f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 擊發／击发 (zh) (jīfā)

• Finnish: lyönti (fi)
• Galician: percusión (gl) f
• Hungarian: összeütés, ütés (hu), ütközés (hu), összeütközés (hu), ütődés (hu), összeütődés, lökés (hu), rázkódás (hu)
• Icelandic: samsláttur m, sláttur (is) m, barningur (is) m
• Russian: столкнове́ние (ru) n (stolknovénije), уда́р (ru) m (udár)

sound produced by collision

• Catalan: percussió f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 擊發的聲音／击发的声音 (jīfā de shēngyīn)

• Finnish: lyöntiääni
• Hungarian: csattanás (hu)
• Icelandic: please add this translation if you can

detonation of percussion cap

• Hungarian: gyutacs felrobbanása

medicine: tapping of the body

• Bulgarian: причукване n (pričukvane)
• Catalan: percussió f
• Danish: perkussion c
• Finnish: koputtelu (fi)
• Hungarian: kopogtatás (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: perkusjon m

  Nynorsk: perkusjon m

• Russian: высту́кивание (ru) n (vystúkivanije), перку́ссия (ru) f (perkússija)
• Turkish: perküsyon (tr)

music: section of percussion instruments

• Arabic: آلَة إِيقَاعِيَّة (ʔāla ʔīqāʕiyya)
• Bulgarian: ударни инструменти m pl (udarni instrumenti)
• Catalan: percussió f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 打擊樂器／打击乐器 (zh) (dǎjī yuèqì)

• Czech: bicí
• Danish: slagtøj n, percussion c
• Finnish: lyömäsoittimet (fi) pl, lyömäsoitinryhmä
• French: percussion (fr) f
• German: Perkussion (de) f
• Hungarian: ütőhangszer (hu), ütősök pl, ütők (hu) pl
• Icelandic: slagverk n
• Irish: cnaguirlis f
• Maori: papā
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: slagverk n, perkusjon m

  Nynorsk: slagverk n, perkusjon m

• Polish: perkusja (pl) f
• Portuguese: percussão (pt) f
• Russian: уда́рный инструме́нт m (udárnyj instrumént) (percussion instrument)
• Spanish: percusión (es) f

engineering: repeated striking

• Finnish: tärytys (fi)

Anagrams

• coin purses, croupiness, supersonic

French

Etymology

From Latin percussiōnem.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

percussion f (plural percussions)

1. percussion (tapping of the body)
2. (music) percussion

Descendants

• → Turkish: perküsyon

Further reading

• “percussion”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.