atabal

A1T1A1B3A1L1
/ˈætəbɑːl/

noun

A kettledrum; a kind of tabor used by the Moors.

OriginSpanish atabal ← Arabic الطَّبْل →
Scrabble 8
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Meanings

nounatabal (plural atabals)

plural atabals

  1. A kettledrum; a kind of tabor used by the Moors.

    the trump, the gong, and the atabal. (III, xx)

    1820, Charles Maturin, Melmoth the Wanderer
    1 more example

    The night was wild, the atabal / Scarce echoed on the rampart wall.

    1816, George Croly, Czerni George

Origin

  1. Arabicالطَّبْل“drum”
  2. Spanishatabal
  3. Englishatabal

Borrowed from Spanish atabal, from Arabic الطَّبْل (aṭ-ṭabl, “drum”), طَبَلَ (ṭabala, “to drum”). Compare tabor, tymbal, tabla, davul.

More words from Spanish, Arabic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

balataAlabatalbata
Cite this entry
APA

atabal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atabal

MLA

“atabal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atabal. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “atabal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atabal.

Source: atabal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.