tympanic membrane
nounUK /tɪmˈpænɪk ˈmembreɪn/
US /tɪmˈpænɪk ˈmembreɪn/
A thin skin inside your ear that shakes when sound hits it and helps you hear.
The doctor looked at the tympanic membrane to check if the ear was healthy.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The membrane separating the middle ear from the outer ear in animals.
In frogs, the tympanic membrane sits on the side of the head.
3. A thin vibrating layer in some insects' hearing organs.
The cricket's tympanic membrane picks up the song of other crickets.
4. A membrane stretched over a drum or similar instrument.
The drum's tympanic membrane vibrated with each beat.