timbre
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timbre
the characteristic quality of a sound: The timbre of his voice was unique.
Not to be confused with:
timber – wood, especially when suitable for building purposes: Stack the timber next to the house.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
tim·bre
(tăm′bər, tĭm′-)n.
1. The combination of qualities of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds of the same pitch and volume.
2. Distinctive character: the timbre of the painter's work.
[French, from Old French, drum, clapperless bell, probably from Medieval Greek *timbanon, drum, from Greek tumpanon, kettledrum.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
timbre
(ˈtɪmbə; ˈtæmbə; French tɛ̃brə)n
1. (Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics the distinctive tone quality differentiating one vowel or sonant from another
2. (Music, other) music tone colour or quality of sound, esp a specific type of tone colour
[C19: from French: note of a bell, from Old French: drum, from Medieval Greek timbanon, from Greek tumpanon drum]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tim•bre
(ˈtæm bər, ˈtɪm-; Fr. ˈtɛ̃ brə)n.
1. the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness, depending on the number and relative strengths of its component frequencies, as determined by resonance.
2. the characteristic quality of sound produced by a particular instrument or voice; tone color.
[1325–75; Middle English tymbre < French: sound (orig. of bell), Middle French: bell, timbrel, drum, Old French: drum « Medieval Greek tímbanon, variant of Greek týmpanon drum]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  timbre - (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); "the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; "the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet"sound property - an attribute of sound harmonic - any of a series of musical tones whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of a fundamental resonance - the quality imparted to voiced speech sounds by the action of the resonating chambers of the throat and mouth and nasal cavities coloration, colouration, color, colour - the timbre of a musical sound; "the recording fails to capture the true color of the original music" nasality - a quality of the voice that is produced by nasal resonators plangency, reverberance, sonority, sonorousness, vibrancy, ringing, resonance - having the character of a loud deep sound; the quality of being resonant register - (music) the timbre that is characteristic of a certain range and manner of production of the human voice or of different pipe organ stops or of different musical instruments music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
timbre
noun tone, sound, ring, resonance, colour, tonality, tone colour, quality of sound His voice had a deep timbre.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
timbre
nounA sound of distinct pitch and quality:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
timbre
, (US) timbern → Timbre nt; (Phon) → Tonqualität f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995