tympan

tym·pan

T0444300 (tĭm′pən)n.1. Printing A padding, as of paper or cloth, placed over the platen of a press to regulate the pressure on the sheet being printed.2. Architecture A tympanum.3. A tightly stretched sheet or membrane, as on the head of a drum.

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[Middle English timpan, drum, from Old English timpana, from Latin tympanum, from Greek tumpanon.]

tympan

(ˈtɪmpən) n1. a membrane stretched over a frame or resonating cylinder, bowl, etc2. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) printing packing interposed on a hand-operated text between the platen and the paper to be printed in order to provide an even impression3. (Architecture) architect another name for tympanum³[Old English timpana, from Latin; see tympanum]

tym•pan

(ˈtɪm pən)

n. 1. a padlike device interposed between the platen of a printing press and the sheet to be printed, in order to soften and equalize the pressure. 2. tympanum (defs. 2, 5). [before 900; Middle English: drum, Old English < Latin tympanum tympanum]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

tympan - a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each enddrum, membranophonebass drum, gran casa - a large drum with two heads; makes a sound of indefinite but very low pitchbongo, bongo drum - a small drum; played with the handsdrumhead, head - a membrane that is stretched taut over a drumpercussion instrument, percussive instrument - a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking anotherside drum, snare drum, snare - a small drum with two heads and a snare stretched across the lower headtabor, tabour - a small drum with one head of soft calfskintambour - a drumtambourine - a shallow drum with a single drumhead and with metallic disks in the sidestenor drum, tom-tom - any of various drums with small headstimbrel - small hand drum similar to a tambourine; formerly carried by itinerant jugglers