percussion
percussion Lexical Profile
percussion Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Musical instruments played by striking with the hand or with a handheld or pedal-operated stick or beater, or by shaking, including drums, cymbals, xylophones, gongs, bells, and rattles; the section of an orchestra or band playing such instruments.
"She plays percussion in the youth symphony orchestra, specializing in the timpani and marimba."
The striking of one solid body against another with some degree of force, or the sound and shock produced by such an impact.
"The heavy percussion of the waves against the seawall could be heard from several blocks away."
A clinical diagnostic method of gently tapping the surface of a body part with the fingers or a small instrument to determine the density, size, or condition of the underlying organs by the sound produced.
"Through careful chest percussion, the physician detected fluid accumulation in the patient's lower lung."
• Rhymes for percussion
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 16th century from Middle French or directly from Latin percussio ('a beating, striking'), from the verb percutere, combining per- ('thoroughly') and quatere ('to shake, strike').