tympan

American  

[tim-puhn] / ˈtɪm pən /

noun

1. Printing. a padlike device interposed between the platen or its equivalent and the sheet to be printed, in order to soften and equalize the pressure.

2. tympanum.

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tympan British  

/ ˈtɪmpən /

noun

1. a membrane stretched over a frame or resonating cylinder, bowl, etc

2. printing packing interposed on a hand-operated text between the platen and the paper to be printed in order to provide an even impression

3. architect another name for tympanum

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Etymology

Origin of tympan

before 900; Middle English: drum, Old English < Latin tympanum tympanum

Example Sentences

An eighteenth-century doorway had been added to it, and the tympan of the pediment was quite filled up with hanging plants.

From Wanderings by southern waters, eastern Aquitaine by Barker, Edward Harrison

Mechanisms are employed to move the "tympan sheet" or outside covering of the second cylinder along at fixed intervals, but they are complicated and troublesome.

From The Building of a Book A Series of Practical Articles Written by Experts in the Various Departments of Book Making and Distributing by Hitchcock, Frederick H.

In the tympan on the right hand door, Jesus is seen seated on a rain-bow, and over him is the Resurrection of the dead and the Judgment-day.

From Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg by Anonymous

Nos adversaires," s'écriait Lord John Russell, "nous cassent le tympan avec le cri: 'Le roi et l'Eglise.'

From Collections and Recollections by Russell, George William Erskine

A piece of rubber, felt, or woolen cloth, used in the tympan to make it soft and elastic.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah