tympanum
nounUK /ˈtɪm.pə.nəm/
US /ˈtɪm.pə.nəm/
A tympanum is the eardrum inside your ear that helps you hear sounds.
The doctor looked inside his ear to check his tympanum.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A round decorative panel above a door or window, often with carvings.
The old church had a stone carving in the tympanum above the entrance.
3. A drum or a drum-like part of a machine.
The tympanum of the printing press helped press the paper flat.
4. A membrane that vibrates to produce sound in some insects and frogs.
The frog's tympanum is a round spot just behind its eye.