noun
also tim·pan ˈtimpən
( -s )
Etymology: in sense 1a, from Middle English tympan, timpan, from Old English timpana, from Latin tympanum; in sense 1b, from Irish Gaelic tiompan, from Latin tympanum drum; in other senses from Medieval Latin tympanum eardrum & Latin tympanum drum, architectural panel — more at tympanum
1.
a. : drum
b. : a Celtic bowed stringed musical instrument
2.
a. obsolete : tympanum 1a(1)
b. : any of various membranous plates functioning basically like the membranous tympanum of the ear
3.
a. or tympan sheet : a sheet of material (as paper or cloth) in a printing press that is placed between the impression surface (as the platen or impression cylinder) and the paper to be printed : drawsheet
b. or tympan frame : either of two frames that hold the tympan sheet of a handpress:
(1) : an inner frame over which the tympan sheet is drawn
(2) : an outer frame that holds the tympan sheet in place
4. : an architectural panel : tympanum