Timpani (noun)
tim-pan-ee
Kettledrums, especially when played by one musician in an orchestra.
Late 19th century: from Italian, plural of timpano ‘kettledrum’, from Latin tympanum ‘drum’ (see tympanum).
Example sentences
“The timpani roll increased before the striking piano chords.”
“All she could hear in the darkness is her heart beating like a timpani.”