tambour

American  

[tam-boor, tam-boor] / ˈtæm bʊər, tæmˈbʊər /

noun

1. Music. a drum.

2. a drum player.

3. Also called tabaret.  a circular frame consisting of two hoops, one fitting within the other, in which cloth is stretched for embroidering.

4. embroidery done on such a frame.

5. Furniture. a flexible shutter used as a desk top or in place of a door, composed of a number of closely set wood strips attached to a piece of cloth, the whole sliding in grooves along the sides or at the top and bottom.

6. Architecture. drum.

7. Court Tennis. a sloping buttress opposite the penthouse, on the hazard side of the court.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to embroider on a tambour.

tambour British  

/ ˈtæmbʊə /

noun

1. real tennis the sloping buttress on one side of the receiver's end of the court

2. a small round embroidery frame, consisting of two concentric hoops over which the fabric is stretched while being worked

3. embroidered work done on such a frame

4. a sliding door on desks, cabinets, etc, made of thin strips of wood glued side by side onto a canvas backing

5. architect a wall that is circular in plan, esp one that supports a dome or one that is surrounded by a colonnade

6. a drum

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verb

1. to embroider (fabric or a design) on a tambour

Etymology

Origin of tambour

1475–85; < Middle French: drum ≪ Arabic tanbūr lute < Medieval Greek pandoúra; cf. bandore

Example Sentences

But when she tried her hand at drapo, which traditionally involved only sequins, she found that tambour and beadwork opened new possibilities in contour, depth and detail.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2023

It is a hybrid instrument - his invention - combining the neck of an guitar with a traditional four-stringed tambour.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2022

Bronzed mirrors, terrazzo floor, brass snoots illuminating tambour walls — it feels more 1970s Milan than 21st-century New York.

From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2011

Stowage above is behind teak tambour doors, and below in three drawers and two cabinets.

From Time Magazine Archive

The needle, and the entire machine, was basically an attempt to mechanize tambour embroidery, with which the inventor was quite familiar.

From The Invention of the Sewing Machine by Cooper, Grace Rogers