tympanic

tympanic /tym·pan·ic/ (tim-pan´ik)

1. tympanal; of or pertaining to the tympanum.

2. bell-like; resonant.

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tym·pan·ic (tm-pnk)

adj.

1. Relating to or resembling a drum of the ear.

2. or tym·pa·nal (tmp-nl) Of or relating to the tympanic cavity or membrane.

3. Resonant.

4. Tympanitic.

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tympanic

[timpan′ik]

Etymology: Gk, tympanon, drum

pertaining to a structure that resonates when struck; drumlike, such as a tympanic abdomen that resonates on percussion because the intestines are distended with gas. Also called tympanal. tympanum /tim′pənəm, pl. tympana, n.

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tympanic

1. of or pertaining to the tympanum.

2. bell-like; resonant.

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tympanic cavity

middle ear.

tympanic membrane

a thin, semitransparent membrane, nearly oval in shape, that stretches across the ear canal separating the middle ear from the external acoustic meatus (outer ear); called also the eardrum. It is composed of fibrous tissue, covered with skin on the outside and mucous membrane on the inside. It is constructed so that it can vibrate freely with audible sound waves that travel inward from outside. The manubrium (handle) of the malleus (hammer) of the middle ear is attached to the center of the tympanic membrane and receives the vibrations collected by the membrane, transmitting them to other bones of the middle ear (the incus and stapes) and eventually to the fluid of the inner ear.

Normal canine left tympanic membrane. By permission from Gotthelf LN, Small Animal Ear Disease, Saunders, 2005

tympanic membrane (secondary)

the membrane enclosing the fenestra cochlearis; called also Scarpa's membrane.

tympanic nerve

see Table 14.

tympanic plexus

see tympanic plexus.

tympanic ossicles

see auditory ossicles.