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Drum vs Dram - What's the difference?

drum | dram |

As nouns the difference between drum and dram

is that drum is a percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber, affecting what materials are used to make it while dram is a unit of weight avoirdupois.

As verbs the difference between drum and dram

is that drum is to beat a drum while dram is to drink drams.

drum

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber, affecting what materials are used to make it.
  • Any similar hollow, cylindrical object.
  • In particular, a barrel or large cylindrical container for liquid transport and storage.
    • The restaurant ordered ketchup in 50-gallon drums .
  • A social gathering or assembly held in the evening.
  • * 1749 , Henry Fielding, Tom Jones , Folio Society 1973, page 631:
    • Another misfortune which befel poor Sophia, was the company of Lord Fellamar, whom she met at the opera, and who attended her to the drum .
  • (architecture) The encircling wall that supports a dome or cupola
  • (architecture) Any of the cylindrical blocks that make up the shaft of a pillar
  • A drumfish.
  • (slang, UK) A person's home.
  • A tip, a piece of information.
  • * 1985 , (Peter Carey), Illywhacker , Faber and Faber 2003, page 258:
    • ‘he is the darndest little speaker we got, so better sit there and listen to him while he gives you the drum and if you clean out your earholes you might get a bit of sense into your heads.’

    Derived terms

    * bass drum * drum and bass * drum beat * drum brake * drum kit * drummer * drum roll * drumstick * drum stick * hand drum * kettledrum * snare drum * tenor drum

    See also

    * percussion

    Verb

    (drumm)
  • To beat a drum.
  • (ambitransitive) To beat with a rapid succession of strokes.
    • The ruffed grouse drums with his wings.
  • * Washington Irving
    • drumming with his fingers on the arm of his chair
  • To drill or review in an attempt to establish memorization.
    • He’s still trying to drum Spanish verb conjugations into my head.
  • To throb, as the heart.
    • (Dryden)
  • To go about, as a drummer does, to gather recruits, to draw or secure partisans, customers, etc.; used with for .

    • Derived terms

    * drummer

    dram

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) dragme, from .

    Alternative forms

    * drachm,

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A unit of weight avoirdupois,
  • # (UK & US) 1/16 ounce avoirdupois.
  • # (UK & US) 1.77 gram
  • A minute quantity; a mite.
  • * Milton
    • Were I the chooser, a dram of well-doing should be preferred before many times as much the forcible hindrance of evildoing.
  • A small quantity of a drink, especially an alcoholic drink.
    • a dram of brandy
    a dram of poison
  • A cart formerly used to haul coal in coal mines.
  • A Persian daric.
    • Synonyms
    * nip * slug * snifter * tot
    Derived terms
    * angel's dram

    Verb

    (dramm)
  • (dated) To drink drams.
    • (Johnson)
    (Thackeray)
  • (dated) To ply with drams of drink.

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (Armenian dram) (en noun)
  • (currency) The currency of Armenia, divided into 100 luma.

    • Anagrams

    * ----