A type of cylindrical drum without snares, typically played with the hands or mallets. Also refers to a brand of GPS navigation devices.
From Hindi tam-tam, onomatopoetic representation of drum sounds. The word entered English in the early 19th century through British colonial contact with Indian music.
The tomtom drum gets its name from the sound it makes - it's one of the purest examples of onomatopoeia in musical terminology. Interestingly, the GPS company TomTom chose this name because they wanted something that sounded like 'Tom's Tom' - suggesting everyone could have their own personal navigation device.
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