timbre
English edit
Etymology edit
From French timbre, ultimately from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Doublet of tympanum.
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈtæm.bə/, (dated) /tɛ̃bɹ(ə)/
- (General American) enPR: tăm'bər, tĭm'bər, IPA(key): /ˈtæm.bɚ/, /ˈtɪm.bɚ/
Audio (US) (file)
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈtɪm.bə/
Audio (AU) (file)
- Homophone: timber (only for the pronunciation that has an /ɪ/ sound)
- Rhymes: -æmbə(ɹ), -ɪmbə(ɹ)
Noun edit
timbre (countable and uncountable, plural timbres)
- 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.
- 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.
- (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).
- 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:
Translations edit
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Further reading edit
Anagrams edit
Bikol Central edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Spanish timbre (“bell”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
tímbre (Basahan spelling ᜆᜒᜋ᜔ᜊ᜔ᜍᜒ)
Derived terms edit
Catalan edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
timbre m (plural timbres)
Further reading edit
- “timbre” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
French edit
Etymology edit
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 edit
Noun edit
timbre m (plural timbres)
- small bell
- (postage) stamp, postage stamp
- stamp (mark)
- (music) timbre
- (phonology) quality of a vowel
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Further reading edit
- “timbre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “timbre”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Occitan edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (Béarn) (file)
Noun edit
timbre m (plural timbres)
- postage stamp
- Synonym: sagèl
- timbre (quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume)
Old French edit
Noun edit
timbre oblique singular, m (oblique plural timbres, nominative singular timbres, nominative plural timbre)
Portuguese edit
Pronunciation edit
- Hyphenation: tim‧bre
Etymology 1 edit
Noun edit
timbre m (plural timbres)
- timbre (quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume)
- seal (pattern, design)
- (heraldry) crest
Etymology 2 edit
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb edit
timbre
- inflection of timbrar:
Spanish edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
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 edit
timbre m (plural timbres)
- bell
- Synonym: campana
- doorbell
- timbre
- stamp
- Synonym: sello
- postmark
- Synonym: matasellos
- seal
- Synonym: sello
Hyponyms edit
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb edit
timbre
- inflection of timbrar:
Further reading edit
- “timbre”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
- timbre (acústica) on the Spanish Wikipedia.Wikipedia es
- timbre (canto) on the Spanish Wikipedia.Wikipedia es
Swedish edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French timbre. Attested since 1802.
Noun edit
timbre c
- (beautiful) timbre (especially of a voice)
Declension edit
Declension of timbre | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Uncountable | ||||
Indefinite | Definite | |||
Nominative | timbre | timbren | — | — |
Genitive | timbres | timbrens | — | — |
References edit
Tagalog edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
timbre (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜒᜋ᜔ᜊ᜔ᜇᜒ)
- buzzer; electric bell (especially of a door)
- push button of a buzzer or electric bell
- act of pushing a buzzer
- Synonym: pagtimbre
- seal; stamp (tool)
- impression made by a sealing machine
- Synonym: tatak
- (figurative, colloquial) act of alerting someone about something (especially in order to avoid being caught doing something wrong)