drum

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See also: Drum

English

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A drum (instrument).
A scanning machine including a large drum (cylindrical object).
Cable drums
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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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

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drum (plural drums)

  2. (music) 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!
  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
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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
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Translations
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See also
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Verb

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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.
  3. (transitive) To drill or review in an attempt to establish memorization.
    He’s still trying to drum Spanish verb conjugations into my head.
    • 1978 December 9, Pat M. Kuras, “A Splice of Lesbian Life”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 20, page 11:
      Those long ago memories of gnawing sexuality clashing against drummed in prejudice.
  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
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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

Noun

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drum (plural drums)

  1. (now rare) A small hill or ridge of hills.
Usage notes
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  • Mainly encountered in place names, such as Drumglass and Drumsheugh.

Etymology 3

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Unknown.

Noun

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drum (plural drums)

  1. (now historical) A social gathering or assembly held in the evening. [from 18th c.]
  2. (slang, chiefly UK) A person's home; a house or other building, especially when insalubrious; a tavern, a brothel. [from 19th c.]
Derived terms
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  • drummer (housebreaker; travelling salesman)

Etymology 4

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Shortening.

Noun

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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

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  • “drum”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Aromanian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Noun

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drum n (plural drumuri)

  1. road

Synonyms

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See also

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English drum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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drum m (plural drums, diminutive drummetje n)

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

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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German

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Pronunciation

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Adverb

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drum

  1. Contraction of darum.

Further reading

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

Italian

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Etymology

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From the tobacco brand.

Noun

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drum m (invariable)

  1. roll-your-own cigarette

Megleno-Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Greek δρόμος (drómos).

Noun

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drum n (plural drumur)

  1. road

Romanian

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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drum n (plural drumuri)

  1. road

Declension

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Declension of drum
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) drum drumul (niște) drumuri drumurile
genitive/dative (unui) drum drumului (unor) drumuri drumurilor
vocative drumule drumurilor
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See also

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Further reading

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Language in Danger Andrew Dalby, 2003

Serbo-Croatian

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Etymology

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

Noun

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drȕm m (Cyrillic spelling дру̏м)

  1. road

Declension

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Declension of drum
singular plural
nominative drȕm drùmovi
genitive drùma drùmōvā
dative drùmu drùmovima
accusative drȕm drùmove
vocative drȕme drùmovi
locative drùmu drùmovima
instrumental drùmom drùmovima
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