Played a drum; made a repeated tapping or beating sound; or to try to make someone remember something through repetition.
From 'drum' (the instrument, from Dutch 'trom' and similar Germanic words, possibly imitative). The verb form and its figurative meanings (drummed into someone's head) developed from the physical action.
When people say something was 'drummed into their head,' they're using the same metaphor soldiers have used for centuries—a drum's repetitive beat, and learning happens through repetition!
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