eardrum

[ eer-druhm ]

noun

, Anatomy, Zoology.

1. a membrane in the ear canal between the external ear and the middle ear; tympanic membrane.

eardrum

/ ˈɪəˌdrʌm /

noun

1. See tympanic membrane
   the nontechnical name for tympanic membrane

eardrum

/ îr′drŭm′ /

1. The thin, oval-shaped membrane that separates the middle ear from the outer ear. It vibrates in response to sound waves, which are then transmitted to the ossicles of the middle ear.
2. Also called tympanic membrane

eardrum

1. The membrane that divides the outer ear from the middle ear . The vibrations of this membrane in response to sound waves lead to the sensation of hearing. Also called the tympanic membrane.

Word History and Origins

Origin of eardrum¹

First recorded in 1635–45; ear ¹ + drum ¹

Example Sentences

Their ears are smaller, which means loud noises can be perceived as 20 dB louder than what an adult eardrum would process.

From Popular-Science

Bone-conduction headphones allow you to experience audio sans any direct interaction with your ear canal or eardrum.

From Popular-Science

Look for clear discharge from the nose or ears, bruises around the eyes or behind the ears, and blood in the eardrums.

From Outside Online

How precisely the lungs quiet these sounds at the eardrum remains unclear, but the net effect is a significant reduction in environmental noise that allows females to focus on the calls that matter, the researchers say.

From Science News

An eardrum is just taut tissue that vibrates when sound waves hit it, ultimately translating the bleating and buzzing of the natural world into signals that get processed in the brain.

From Science News

An earache in a child with a perfectly normal exam is more difficult to figure out than one with a bulging and inflamed eardrum.

From The Daily Beast

He also failed a drug test and allegedly hit a bouncer so hard he punctured his eardrum.

From The Daily Beast

The chants grew louder before reaching an eardrum-piercing crescendo when the 2013 Arab Idol glided on stage.

From The Daily Beast

Monsieur Le Grand drummed till my own eardrum was nearly cracked.

From Project Gutenberg

But that burden of sound was almost too over-ponderous for the bethundered eardrum!

From Project Gutenberg

There was no speckle of light to classify and ignore, no susurrus of air molecules raining against the eardrum.

From Project Gutenberg

If a shell goes off too near you and the eardrum suffers, Dr. McKernon will be on the job to find out if he can't make a new one.

From Project Gutenberg

So do the adjacent molecules of air and so does the eardrum of a listener.

From Project Gutenberg