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timbre

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: Timbre, timbré, and tîmbre

English

WOTD – 5 January 2012

Etymology

From French timbre, ultimately from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Doublet of tympanum, timpani, timbal, and tymbal.

Pronunciation

Noun

timbre (countable and uncountable, plural timbres)

  1. The quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume.
    • 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, chapter 7, in The Whisperer in Darkness:
      It was a hard whisper to catch at first, since the grey moustache concealed all movements of the lips, and something in its timbre disturbed me greatly; but by concentrating my attention I could soon make out its purport surprisingly well.
  2. The pitch of a sound as heard by the ear, described relative to its absolute pitch.
    When someone speaks after inhaling helium, his voice has a higher timbre. With sulfur hexafluoride, the result is a lower timbre.
  3. (heraldry, uncommon) The crest on a (helmet atop a) coat of arms.
    • 1492, "Confirmation of arms with difference and crest to Thomas and John Elyott by John Writhe, Garter, dated 7th July, 1492 (MS. queen's Coll. 139, No. 13.)", in 1925, Willoughby Aston Littledale, A Collection of Miscellaneous Grants, Crests, Confirmations, Augmentations and Exemplifications of Arms in the Mss. Preserved in the British Museum, Ashmolean Library, Queen's College, Oxford, and Elsewhere, page 70:
      Quarterly the First quarter Siluer [...], The second Siluer a Cheueron gules betweene three Castles Sables And to his timbre vpon his healme, an Elephants head in his proper Colours […]
    • 2002, Philippe Levillain, John W. O'Malley, The Papacy: Gaius-Proxies, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 1145:
      The basilican pavilion [...] has frequently appeared on banners since the 13th century, but the pope has used it only rarely, as a timbre or crest above his coat of ARMS (a few examples exist from the time of MARTIN V).

Usage notes

  • Not to be confused with timber, which has a different meaning.

Translations

Further reading

Anagrams

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Bikol Central

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish timbre (“bell”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈtimbɾe/ [ˈtim.bɾe]
  • Hyphenation: tim‧bre

Noun

tímbre (Basahan spelling ᜆᜒᜋ᜔ᜊ᜔ᜍᜒ)

  1. doorbell
  2. brand; seal; stamp
    Synonyms: selyo, tatak

Derived terms

  • magtimbre
  • timbrehan

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from French timbre.

Pronunciation

Noun

timbre m (plural timbres)

  1. (heraldry) timbre
  2. (music) timbre
  3. doorbell

Further reading

  • “timbre” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French timbre, via Byzantine Greek, from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Less likely a direct descendant of Latin tympanum. Doublet of tympan.

Pronunciation

Noun

timbre m (plural timbres)

  1. small bell
  2. (postage) stamp, postage stamp
  3. stamp (mark)
  4. (music) timbre
  5. (phonology) quality of a vowel

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → Hausa: tambur
  • → Khmer: តែម (taem)
  • → Iranian Persian: تَمْبْر (tambr), تمر (tamr) (colloquial)
  • → Luxembourgish: Timber
  • → Moroccan Arabic: تنبر (tanbar)
  • → Vietnamese: tem

Further reading

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Occitan

Pronunciation

Noun

timbre m (plural timbres)

  1. postage stamp
    Synonym: sagèl
  2. timbre (quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume)

Old English

Pronunciation

Noun

timbre

  1. dative singular of timber

Old French

Noun

timbre oblique singular, m (oblique plural timbres, nominative singular timbres, nominative plural timbre)

  1. timbrel

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

  • Hyphenation: tim‧bre

Etymology 1

From French timbre, ultimately from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Doublet of tímpano.

Noun

timbre m (plural timbres)

  1. timbre (quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume)
  2. seal (pattern, design)
    Synonyms: selo, sinete
  3. (heraldry) crest
Derived terms

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

timbre

  1. inflection of timbrar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Further reading

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Spanish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French timbre (“quality of a sound; sound of a bell”), from Old French timbre (“bell without a clapper, drum”), via Byzantine Greek from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Doublet of tímpano.

Noun

timbre m (plural timbres)

  1. bell
    Synonym: campana
  2. doorbell
  3. timbre
  4. stamp
    Synonym: sello
  5. postmark
    Synonym: matasellos
  6. seal
    Synonym: sello
Hyponyms
  • timbre fiscal
Derived terms

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

timbre

  1. inflection of timbrar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Further reading

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from French timbre. Attested since 1802.

Noun

timbre c

  1. (beautiful) timbre (especially of a voice)

Declension

More information nominative, genitive ...

References

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Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish timbre.

Pronunciation

Noun

timbre (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜒᜋ᜔ᜊ᜔ᜇᜒ)

  1. buzzer; electric bell (especially of a door)
  2. push button of a buzzer or electric bell
    Synonyms: pindutan, boton
  3. act of pushing a buzzer
    Synonym: pagtimbre
  4. seal; stamp (tool)
    Synonyms: selyo, panatak, pantatak
  5. impression made by a sealing machine
    Synonym: tatak
  6. (figurative, colloquial) act of alerting someone about something (especially in order to avoid being caught doing something wrong)

Derived terms

  • magtimbre
  • pagkatimbre
  • pagtimbre
  • timbrehan
  • timbrehin
  • tumimbre

See also

Further reading

  • “timbre”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018.
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