timbre

Timbre comes from French timbre, which ultimately derives from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon), meaning 'drum'.

The facts don't give a detailed step-by-step shift in meaning, only that the word passed from Greek through French into English.

Timbre is a doublet of tympanum, timpani, timbal, and tymbal — words that all share that same Greek 'drum' root.