tambor

See also: tambôr

Bourguignon

Noun

tambor m (plural tambors)

1. drum

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Andalusian Arabic تابول (ṭabbúl), hypocorism/diminutive of Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr); see Persian طبل (“drum”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [təmˈbu]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [təmˈbo]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [tamˈboɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [tamˈbo]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Noun

tambor m (plural tambors)

1. drum

Synonyms

• (musical instrument): timbal

Derived terms

• tambora
• tamborer
• tamboret
• tamborí

Further reading

• “tambor”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese atambor (“Moor drum”), from Arabic الطُنْبُور (aṭ-ṭunbūr); see Persian طبل (“drum”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tamˈboɾ/

Noun

tambor m (plural tambores)

1. drum (percussive musical instrument)

   Synonym: caixa

2. drum (any hollow, cylindrical object)
3. hood (device to suck away smokes and fumes)
4. cylinder (part of a revolver which contains chambers for rounds)

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “atambor”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “tambor”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “tambor”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “tambor”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “tambor”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “tambor”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Occitan

Etymology

From Persian طُنْبُور, from Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tamˈbuɾ/

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Noun

tambor m (plural tambors)

1. drum

Derived terms

• tamborin
• tambornar
• tambornièr
• tambornet

Portuguese

tambor

Alternative forms

• atambor, atambôr (obsolete)
• tambôr (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese atanbor, from Arabic الطُنْبُور (aṭ-ṭunbūr); cognate to Persian طبل (“drum”), Spanish and Galician tambor.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /tɐ̃ˈboʁ/ [tɐ̃ˈboh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /tɐ̃ˈboʁ/ [tɐ̃ˈboh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /tɐ̃ˈboɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /tɐ̃ˈboʁ/ [tɐ̃ˈboχ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /tɐ̃ˈboɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɐ̃ˈboɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɐ̃ˈboɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɐ̃ˈbo.ɾi/

• Audio (Brazil (Caipira)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tam‧bor

Noun

tambor m (plural tambores)

1. (music) drum (a type of percussive musical instrument)

   Hyponyms: bongô, caixa, sarol, tamborim, tarol, tímpano, tom-tom

2. drum (any hollow, cylindrical object)
   1. drum (a barrel or large cylindrical container for liquids)

      Synonym: tonel

   2. (firearms) cylinder (part of a revolver which contains chambers for rounds)

      Synonym: cilindro

   3. tumbler (movable obstruction in a lock)
   4. the revolving drum of a concrete mixer
3. (architecture) drum (any of the cylindrical blocks that make up the shaft of a pillar)
4. (South Brazil) cockpit (an enclosure for cockfights)

Derived terms

• tambor de mina
• tamborada
• tamboreiro
• tamborejar
• tamborete
• tamboril
• tamborilar
• tamborim

Further reading

• “tambor”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “tambor”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Alternative forms

• atambor (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Andalusian Arabic تابول (ṭabbūl), hypocorism/diminutive of Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr); see Persian طبل (“drum”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tamˈboɾ/ [t̪ãmˈboɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: tam‧bor

Noun

tambor m (plural tambores)

1. drum
2. drum-shaped piece, part or device
3. (architecture) drum (wall that supports a dome)

Derived terms

• freno de tambor
• tambora
• tambores de guerra
• tamborete
• tamboril
• tamborilear
• tamborín

Descendants

• → English: tambora (partly)

See also

• batería
• percusión
• tambora

Further reading

• “tambor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025