tambour
/ˈtæmbʊə(ɹ)/noun, verb
tambour is spelled T-A-M-B-O-U-R: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 127,184th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tambour means “A small shallow drum” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tambour is tambours.
How many letters and syllables are in tambour?
| Letters | 7: T-A-M-B-O-U-R |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 18 million words; the 127,184th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is tambour?
Tambour appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 127,184th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce tambour?
- /ˈtæmbʊə(ɹ)/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tambour.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tambour
- tambours plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tambouring participle, present
- tamboured participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tambour mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small shallow drum.
- 2
A drummer.
- 3
A circular frame for embroidery.
- 4
A rich kind of gold and silver embroidery.
- 5
Silk or other material embroidered on a tambour.
- 6
The capital of a Corinthian column.
- 7
Synonym of drum (“cylindrical stone in the shaft of a column”).
- 8
A work usually in the form of a redan, to enclose a space before a door or staircase, or at the gorge of a larger work. It is arranged like a stockade.
verb
- 1
To embroider on a tambour (circular frame).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tambour in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense real tennis court feature:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tambour |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tambour come from?
Borrowed from French tambour (“drum”), from Arabic طُنْبُور (ṭunbūr), from the Middle Persian ancestor of Classical Persian تنبور (tanbūr). Doublet of tabor and tanbur. Compare Armenian տաւիղ (tawiġ), and tabla.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).