A tampon is a tube made of cotton wool that a woman puts inside her vagina in order to absorb blood during menstruation.
tampon in British English
(ˈtæmpɒn)
noun
1.
a plug of lint, cotton wool, cotton, etc, inserted into an open wound or body cavity to stop the flow of blood, absorb secretions, etc, esp one inserted into the vagina to absorb menstrual blood
verb
2. (transitive)
to plug (a wound, etc) with a tampon
Word origin
C19: via French from Old French tapon a little plug, from tape a plug, of Germanic origin
tampon in American English
(ˈtæmˌpɑn)
noun
1.
a plug of cotton or other absorbent material put into a body cavity, wound, etc. to stop bleeding or absorb secretions; esp., such a plug for absorbing the menses
verb transitive
2.
to put a tampon into
Word origin
Fr: see tampion
In other languages
tampon
British English: tampon /ˈtæmpɒn/ NOUN
A tampon is a firm piece of cotton wool that a woman puts inside her body during menstruation, in order to absorb the blood.