drum [M16th] Drum is probably from Dutch or German tromme, which imitates the sound of a drumbeat. The English word may be an alteration of drumslade [E16th], from German trommelslag ‘drumbeat’. In Australia and New Zealand drum is a term for ‘a piece of reliable inside information’. This meaning dates from the early 20th century, and perhaps derives from the use of the musical instrument to give signals. The idea behind drumming up support [E19th] is that of a person going around beating a drum to attract attention. We talk of someone being drummed out of [M18th] a place or institution with reference to the military drumbeat that accompanied the ceremony of dismissing a soldier from a regiment. And a lesson is drummed into someone [M17th] in the regular, repetitive way that a drum is beaten.