Meaning
A piece of cloth padding placed under the platen of a letterpress to distribute the pressure on the sheet being printed.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
From Medieval Latin tympanum.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025.