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tambourine

Etymology and origin of the English word tambourine

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌtæm.bəˈɹiːn/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French tambourin (“small drum”),[2][3][4][5] a diminutive of Middle French tambour (“drum”).[3][4][5] French tambour is an alteration of Old French tabour (see tabor), influenced by Arabic ṭunbūr, the name of a kind of lute.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A small drum (1579).[5][6][3][4]

Semantic evolution

French tambourin meant a long, narrow drum used in Provence, while the modern instrument corresponds to French tambour de basque.[4] The sense history is unclear, and in the 17th and early 18th centuries it is often hard to say which instrument is meant.[4] The modern sense, a hoop with a parchment head and jingling metal discs, is attested from 1782.[3][4] Earlier English names for it were tambour de basque, timbre and timbrel, and Shakespeare has tabourine.[4] The word also names an African dove with a resonant call (1891).[6][1]

Timeline

  • 1579 – tamburin, a small drum.[5][3]
  • 1782 – the jingling hand drum.[3][4]
  • 1891 – tambourine pigeon; verb, to play the tambourine.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A small percussion instrument consisting of a shallow wooden or metal hoop with a drumhead stretched over one side and pairs of small metal jingles set in the rim, played by shaking or striking with the hand.

Word family

  • tambourinist
  • tabor
  • tambour
  • timbrel
  • drum

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Tambourine.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/tambourine. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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