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tambour

Pronunciation: /ˈtambʊə/
Definition of tambour

noun

  • 1 historical a small drum.
  • 2a circular frame for holding fabric taut while it is being embroidered.
  • 3 Architecture a wall of circular plan, such as one supporting a dome or surrounded by a colonnade.
  • each of a sequence of cylindrical stones forming the shaft of a column.
  • 4a lobby enclosed by a ceiling and folding doors to prevent draughts, typically within a church porch.
  • [usually as modifier] a sliding flexible shutter or door on a piece of furniture:a tambour door
  • 5a sloping buttress or projection in a real tennis or fives court.

verb

[with object] (often as adjective tamboured)
  • decorate or embroider on a tambour:a tamboured waistcoat

Origin:

late 15th century: from French tambour 'drum'; perhaps related to Persian tabīra 'drum'. Compare with tabor

tambour in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of tambour in the US English dictionary