Dictionary.com

tympan

[ tim-puhn ]
/ ˈtɪm pən /
Save This Word!

noun
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.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

Origin of tympan

before 900; Middle English: drum, Old English <Latin tympanumtympanum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tympan in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tympan

tympan
/ (ˈtɪmpən) /

noun
a membrane stretched over a frame or resonating cylinder, bowl, etc
printing packing interposed on a hand-operated text between the platen and the paper to be printed in order to provide an even impression
architect another name for tympanum (def. 3)

Word Origin for tympan

Old English timpana, from Latin; see tympanum
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK