tympan

[ tim-puhn ]

/ ˈtɪm pən /

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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.

tympanum (defs. 2, 4).

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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

Make several impressions, including one on the top tympan-sheet.
The Boy Craftsman|A. Neely Hall
The bed traveled on guide ways, and the tympan and frisket were hinged to fold back and lay in elevated position.
The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.|Edward W. Byrn
In the cut at the head of this article, the pressman is represented as in the act of turning down the frisket upon the tympan.
Popular Technology; Volume 2|Edward Hazen
Nothing remained now but to adjust the guides which would hold the cards on the tympan.
The Adventures of Bobby Orde|Stewart Edward White

These sheets are held in place by means of the iron clamps which slip over the ends of the tympan (see Fig. 160).
The Boy Craftsman|A. Neely Hall

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