timbre

/ˈtæmbɹə/

Etymology

From French timbre, ultimately from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, “drum”). Doublet of tympanum, timpani, timbal, and tymbal.

timbre means the quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.

Why this word is great

TIMBRE — [Noun] The quality or character of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and loudness. From French timbre (originally "drum, bell without a clapper"), from Latin tympanum ("drum"), from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon, "drum"). Unlike "tone," which often conflates pitch with emotional hue, or "resonance," which isolates the prolongation of a vibration, timbre is the acoustic fingerprint of a source. It is the woody warmth of a cello's lowest string, the gritty breath behind a saxophone's wail, and the husky, intimate grain of a voice in a quiet room—the irreducible proof of a thing's physicality, the acoustic ghost of the body that made it.

noun

The quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume.“It was a hard whisper to catch at first, since the grey moustache concealed all movements of the lips, and something in its timbre disturbed me greatly; but by concentrating my attention I could soon make out its purport surprisingly well.”
The pitch of a sound as heard by the ear, described relative to its absolute pitch.“When someone speaks after inhaling helium, his voice has a higher timbre. With sulfur hexafluoride, the result is a lower timbre.”
The crest on a (helmet atop a) coat of arms.“Quarterly the First quarter Siluer …, The second Siluer a Cheueron gules betweene three Castles Sables And to his timbre vpon his healme, an Elephants head in his proper Colours […]”