tam-tam

[ tuhm-tuhm, tam-tam ]

noun

1. a gong with indefinite pitch.
2. tom-tom.

tam-tam

noun

1. another name for gong

Word History and Origins

Origin of tam-tam¹

First recorded in 1775–85; variant of tom-tom

Word History and Origins

Origin of tam-tam¹

from Hindi: see tom-tom

Example Sentences

And a forest of percussion instruments, including shimmering tam-tam; curt wood blocks; and drums, both crisp and booming.

From New York Times

“They had a huge tam-tam in one room, and I said, ‘What about that, can I rent that?’” he recalled about the period shortly before the conductor Michael Tilson Thomas led the piece in 1972.

From New York Times

First, a prowling tuba and eerie whooshes of tam-tam and cymbals evoke Hamm’s solitude.

From The New Yorker

Featuring a tambourine, triangle, and tam-tam, the suite’s second movement attempted to capture the vitality of black vernacular dance with syncopation, unusual chromatic lines and colorful effects in the strings.

From New York Times

A large tam-tam, for instance, was brushed not struck.

From Los Angeles Times