tympan
French, noun/tɛ̃.pɑ̃/
tympan is spelled T-Y-M-P-A-N (6 letters) and appears 1.1 times per million words in written French, the 29,681st most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Tympan is a French masculine noun meaning “eardrum” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Cavité de forme irrégulière, qui constitue l'oreille moyenne, et qui est fermée du côté de l'oreille externe…”.
What does tympan mean in English?
noun
- 1
masculineeardrum
- 2
masculinemiddle ear
- 3
masculinetympanum
- 4
masculinetreadwheel, treadmill
- 5
masculinehydraulic wheel
- 6
datedmasculinevarious percussion instruments, such as gongs, tympans, tambourines, etc.
- 7
masculinetympan
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Cavité de forme irrégulière, qui constitue l'oreille moyenne, et qui est fermée du côté de l'oreille externe par une membrane. 2. Membrane tympanique. 3. Désigne divers instruments à percussion : tympanon, gong, etc. 4. Espace qui se trouve encadré par les trois corniches du fronton, par le linteau et l’arc d’une porte (archivolte), par un arc et une ligne droite, etc.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of tympan
- tympans plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce tympan?
- /tɛ̃.pɑ̃/
- \tɛ̃.pɑ̃\
- [tɛ̃.pɑ̃]
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to tympan
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is tympan in French?
tympan appears 1.1 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).