drumhead

[ druhm-hed ]

noun
  1. the membrane stretched upon a drum.

  2. the top part of a capstan.

adjective
  1. characteristic of a drumhead court-martial; carried out in summary fashion: a drumhead execution.

Origin of drumhead

1
First recorded in 1615–25; drum1 + head

Words Nearby drumhead

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use drumhead in a sentence

  • A drumhead court-martial sentenced the young Virginian to receive one hundred lashes on the bare back.

  • In the back of his head there formed a little picture—a drumhead court-martial, a provost guard, a tree and a rope.

    The Long Roll | Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for drumhead

drumhead

/ (ˈdrʌmˌhɛd) /


noun
  1. music the part of a drum that is actually struck with a stick or the hand

  2. the head of a capstan, pierced with holes for the capstan bars

  1. another name for eardrum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012