timbre

== English == === Etymology === From French timbre, ultimately from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Doublet of tympanum, timpani, timbal, and tymbal. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈtæmbɹə/, /ˈtæmbə/, (dated) /tɛ̃bɹ(ə)/ (General American) enPR: tăm'bər, tĭm'bər, IPA(key): /ˈtæm.bɚ/, /ˈtɪm.bɚ/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈtɪm.bə/ Homophone: timber (only for the pronunciation that has an /ɪ/ sound) Rhymes: -æmbə(ɹ), -ɪmbə(ɹ) === Noun === timbre (countable and uncountable, plural timbres) The quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume. Synonym: tone color Coordinate terms: pitch, volume The pitch of a sound as heard by the ear, described relative to its absolute pitch. (heraldry, uncommon) The crest on a (helmet atop a) coat of arms. 1492, "Confirmation of arms with difference and crest to Thomas and John Elyott by John Writhe, Garter, dated 7th July, 1492 (MS. queen's Coll. 139, No. 13.)", in 1925, Willoughby Aston Littledale, A Collection of Miscellaneous Grants, Crests, Confirmations, Augmentations and Exemplifications of Arms in the Mss. Preserved in the British Museum, Ashmolean Library, Queen's College, Oxford, and Elsewhere, page 70: Quarterly the First quarter Siluer [...], The second Siluer a Cheueron gules betweene three Castles Sables And to his timbre vpon his healme, an Elephants head in his proper Colours […] ==== Usage notes ==== Not to be confused with timber, which has a different meaning. ==== Translations ==== ==== Further reading ==== timbre on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === betrim, biterm, timber == Catalan == === Etymology === Borrowed from French timbre. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈtim.bɾə] IPA(key): (Valencia) [ˈtim.bɾe] === Noun === timbre m (plural timbres) (heraldry) timbre (music) timbre doorbell === Further reading === “timbre” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962. == Central Bikol == === Etymology === Borrowed from Spanish timbre (“bell”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈtimbɾe/ [ˈtim.bɾe] Hyphenation: tim‧bre === Noun === tímbre (Basahan spelling ᜆᜒᜋ᜔ᜊ᜔ᜍᜒ) doorbell brand; seal; stamp Synonyms: selyo, tatak ==== Derived terms ==== == French == === Etymology === Inherited from Old French timbre, via Byzantine Greek, from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Less likely a direct descendant of Latin tympanum. Doublet of tympan. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /tɛ̃bʁ/ === Noun === timbre m (plural timbres) small bell (postage) stamp, postage stamp stamp (mark) (music) timbre (phonology) quality of a vowel ==== Derived terms ==== timbrer ==== Descendants ==== → Hausa: tambur → Khmer: តែម (taem) → Iranian Persian: تَمْبْر (tambr), تمر (tamr) (colloquial)→ Azerbaijani: təmr → Luxembourgish: Timber → Moroccan Arabic: تنبر (tanbar) → Vietnamese: tem === Further reading === “timbre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “timbre”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. == Occitan == === Pronunciation === === Noun === timbre m (plural timbres) postage stamp Synonym: sagèl timbre (quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume) == Old English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈtim.bre/ === Noun === timbre dative singular of timber == Old French == === Noun === timbre oblique singular, m (oblique plural timbres, nominative singular timbres, nominative plural timbre) timbrel == Portuguese == === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: tim‧bre === Etymology 1 === From French timbre, ultimately from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Doublet of tímpano. ==== Noun ==== timbre m (plural timbres) timbre (quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume) seal (pattern, design) Synonyms: selo, sinete (heraldry) crest ===== Derived terms ===== === Etymology 2 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Verb ==== timbre inflection of timbrar: first/third-person singular present subjunctive third-person singular imperative === Further reading === “timbre”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “timbre”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈtimbɾe/ [ˈt̪ĩm.bɾe] Rhymes: -imbɾe Syllabification: tim‧bre === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from French timbre (“quality of a sound; sound of a bell”), from Old French timbre (“bell without a clapper, drum”), via Byzantine Greek from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Doublet of tímpano. ==== Noun ==== timbre m (plural timbres) bell Synonym: campana doorbell timbre stamp Synonym: sello postmark Synonym: matasellos seal Synonym: sello ===== Hyponyms ===== ===== Derived terms ===== === Etymology 2 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Verb ==== timbre inflection of timbrar: first/third-person singular present subjunctive third-person singular imperative === Further reading === “timbre”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 timbre (acústica) on the Spanish Wikipedia.Wikipedia es timbre (canto) on the Spanish Wikipedia.Wikipedia es == Swedish == === Etymology === Borrowed from French timbre. Attested since 1802. === Noun === timbre c (beautiful) timbre (especially of a voice) ==== Declension ==== === References === “timbre”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) “timbre”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) “timbre”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) == Tagalog == === Etymology === Borrowed from Spanish timbre. === Pronunciation === (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈtimbɾe/ [ˈt̪im.bɾɛ] Rhymes: -imbɾe Syllabification: tim‧bre === Noun === timbre (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜒᜋ᜔ᜊ᜔ᜇᜒ) buzzer; electric bell (especially of a door) push button of a buzzer or electric bell Synonyms: pindutan, boton act of pushing a buzzer Synonym: pagtimbre seal; stamp (tool) Synonyms: selyo, panatak, pantatak impression made by a sealing machine Synonym: tatak (figurative, colloquial) act of alerting someone about something (especially in order to avoid being caught doing something wrong) ==== Derived terms ==== ==== See also ==== === Further reading === “timbre”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018