platen
Americannoun
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a flat plate in a printing press for pressing the paper against the inked type or plate to produce an impression.
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a rotating cylinder used for the same purpose.
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the roller of a typewriter.
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(on a planing machine or the like) the bed to which the work is fastened.
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(on a testing machine) a plate for applying compression to a sample.
noun
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a flat plate in a printing press that presses the paper against the type
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the roller on a typewriter, against which the keys strike
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the worktable of a machine tool, esp one that is slotted to enable T-bolts to be used
Etymology
Origin of platen
1400–50; earlier platyne, late Middle English plateyne chalice cover < Middle French platine. See plate 1, -ine 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The sound of the keys striking the platen provided a reliable rhythm in the chaos I inhabited.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2022
When columnists pulled their latest gems from their typewriters — accompanied by the screech of the platen and the cry of “Copy!” — they were done.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 6, 2022
The great platen, with its clawlike flanges, was suspended at rest.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2013
But a glance at the pistons above made clear how much force that platen could exert on the paper and printing plate below.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2013
At last, by means of a strip of paper and a pencil he measured equidistants from top and bottom of the platen, adjusted the guides in accordance and so that problem was solved.
From The Adventures of Bobby Orde by Brehm, Worth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
