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

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.

This façade is of the fifteenth century and on the tympan of the dormer windows one may still see the monogram of its builder, Cottereau.

From Royal Palaces and Parks of France by McManus, Blanche

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

We may call him toad-hopper or spittle-bug, or as Fabre says, "Contentons-nous de Cicadelle, qui respecte le tympan."

From Edge of the Jungle by Beebe, William

In the lower half of the tympan Satan is enthroned, his feet resting upon a writhing and hideously grimacing figure, supposed to be that of Judas.

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