a person who plays a drum, now specifically the kettledrum
tympanist in American English
(ˈtɪmpənɪst)
noun
a person who plays the drums, esp. the kettledrums, in an orchestra
Word origin
[1605–15; ‹ L tympanista ‹ Gk tympaniste᷄s, equiv. to tympan(ízein) to beat a drum + -istēs-ist]This word is first recorded in the period 1605–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: classic, ferrule, gothic, inverse, surface-ist is a suffix of nouns, often corresponding to verbs ending in -ize or nouns ending in -ism, that denote a person who practices or is concerned with something, or holds certainprinciples, doctrines, etc. Other words that use the affix -ist include: Thomist, machinist, novelist, realist, socialist