Definition of "tabla" [tabla]

• A small hand drum of northern India. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means "drum.""
• "In addition to the instrument itself, the term tabla is often used in reference to this knowledge and the process of its transmission."
• "The main distinction of the tabla is the pairing of two different types of single-headed drums, whereas the dukkar, dukra, and duggi are pairs of the same type and the mridangam and dhol are double-headed, barrel-shaped drums."