tampon

[1848] Borrowed from French tampon, from Middle French tampion, a nasalised variant of tapon, a diminutive or augmented form of Old French tape (“plug, bung, tap”), from Frankish *tappo (“stopper, plug”), from Proto-Germanic *tappô (“plug, tap”). Cognate with Old High German zapfo (“stopper”), Old English tæppa (“stopper”). More at tap.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtæmˌpɒn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtæmˌpɑn/
• IPA^(key): [ˈtʰæmpʰɔn]

tampon (plural tampons)

1. A plug of cotton or other absorbent material inserted into a body cavity or wound to absorb fluid, especially one inserted in the vagina during menstruation.
2. A double-headed drumstick primarily for the bass drum.
3. An inking pad used in lithographic printing.

• (intravaginal plug used to absorb menstrual blood): vampire's teabag (slang)

• emotional tampon

tampon (third-person singular simple present tampons, present participle tamponing, simple past and past participle tamponed)

1. (medicine, transitive) To plug (a wound) with a tampon or compress.

• sanitary napkin, sanitary towel
• tampion

• pot man, potman, topman

Nasalized variant of tapon, from Frankish *tappo, cognate with Dutch tappe, German Zapfen, Old English tæppa, English tap.

• IPA^(key): /tɑ̃.pɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

tampon m (plural tampons)

1. Piece of wood or other material to close an opening.

   …un petit orifice qui, pendant l'emplissage, est bouché par un tampon de bois.

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   1. (musical instrument) Same, closing the opening of a flute, a saxophone.

      Tampons spéciaux montés sur plaques aluminium pour saxophone alto à tampons vissés.

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   2. (boat) Same, closing a leak.

      Tampon d'étoupe.

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2. (medicine) A plug of cotton or other absorbent material inserted into a body cavity or wound to absorb fluid.

   1932, Jules Romains, Hommes de bonne volonté:

   Il monta chercher dans sa chambre, au premier étage, un petit tampon d'ouate; puis, comme le sang était sec et collait à la porcelaine, il humecta légèrement le coton avant de frotter.

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3. tampon to stop menstruation.

   Tampon hygiénique.

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4. sponge, piece of porous material.
   1. used for washing.

      tampon à récurer.

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   2. to varnish or apply wax to a piece of furniture.

      vernissage au tampon.

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   3. to apply ink.

      Tampon encreur.

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5. stamp.

   Donner un coup de tampon.

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6. (figuratively) mitigator, mediator, buffer between people having a dispute.
   • jouer le rôle de tampon.

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   1. In this sense, often used in apposition, such as in solution tampon, État tampon, zone tampon, etc.
7. (chemistry) buffer

   Solution tampon.

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8. (computing) buffer
9. Elastic part that prevents damaging when a collision occurs, e.g. buffer in rail transport.

• (to block an opening): bouchon, tape, tapon
• (tampon): serviette hygiénique
• (stamp): cachet, timbre

• tamponner
  • tamponnage
  • tamponnade

• English: tampon
• German: Tampon
• Dutch: tampon
• Italian: Dutch: tampone
• Japanese: タンポン (tanpon)
• Korean: 탐폰 (tampon)
• Portuguese: tampão
• Russian: тампо́н (tampón)
• Spanish: tampón

• etymology

• “tampon” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtam.pɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

tampon m inan

1. tampon

• IPA^(key): /tǎmpoːn/
• Hyphenation: tam‧pon

tàmpōn m (Cyrillic spelling та̀мпо̄н)

1. tampon