Word of the day: Rataplan

Rataplan

[RAD-ə-plan]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, 19th century

A drumming or beating sound.

Examples of rataplan in a sentence

"At halftime, we could hear the rataplan of the marching band before they entered the field."

"The thunderstorm unleashed a rataplan of heavy rain that lasted hours."

About Rataplan

“Rataplan” is taken from the French “ran tan plan,” an onomatopoeic representation of the sound of drumming.

Did you Know?

About Rataplan

“Rataplan” is taken from the French “ran tan plan,” an onomatopoeic representation of the sound of drumming.

Did you Know?

As a noun, “rataplan” is a convincing evocation of the sound of a drum —particularly a military drum. It's a French word adopted into English, but there is another word that dates back even earlier: “tattoo.” Since the 17th century, English speakers have used the word “tattoo” to describe military signals by drum, as well as other drum sounds. Like “rataplan,” the word “tattoo” even sounds like a drumbeat. Unlike “rataplan,” however, “tattoo” isn’t onomatopoeic: It’s actually taken from the Dutch “taptoe,” describing the shutting of the tap on a cask. a noun, “rataplan” is a convincing evocation of the sound of a drum —particularly a military drum. It's a French word adopted into English, but there is another word that dates back even earlier: “tattoo.” Since the 17th century, English speakers have used the word “tattoo” to describe military signals by drum, as well as other drum sounds. Like “rataplan,” the word “tattoo” even sounds like a drumbeat. Unlike “rataplan,” however, “tattoo” isn’t onomatopoeic: It’s actually taken from the Dutch “taptoe,” describing the shutting of the tap on a cask.