tympan (redirected from tympans)

tym·pan  (tmpn)

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.]

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tympan [ˈtɪmpən]

n

1. a membrane stretched over a frame or resonating cylinder, bowl, etc.

2. (Communication Arts / 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 impression

3. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) Architect another name for tympanum [3]

[Old English timpana, from Latin; see tympanum]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

tympan - a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end drum, membranophone bass drum, gran casa - a large drum with two heads; makes a sound of indefinite but very low pitch bongo, bongo drum - a small drum; played with the hands drumhead, head - a membrane that is stretched taut over a drum percussion instrument, percussive instrument - a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking another side drum, snare drum, snare - a small drum with two heads and a snare stretched across the lower head tabor, tabour - a small drum with one head of soft calfskin tambour - a drum tambourine - a shallow drum with a single drumhead and with metallic disks in the sides tenor drum, tom-tom - any of various drums with small heads timbrel - small hand drum similar to a tambourine; formerly carried by itinerant jugglers