Text: Main Entry: tim·bre Variant(s): also tim·ber /'tam-b&r, 'tim-; 'tam(br&)/ Function: noun Etymology: French, from Middle French, bell struck by a hammer, from Old French, drum, from Middle Greek tymbanon kettledrum, from Greek tympanon -- more at TYMPANUM Date: 1849 : the quality given to a sound by its overtones: as a : the resonance by which the ear recognizes and identifies a voiced speech sound b : the quality of tone distinctive of a particular singing voice or musical instrument - tim·bral /'tam-br&l, 'tim-/ adjective

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