tampon
[ˈtʰæmpɑn]
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.89 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
noun
A double-headed drumstick primarily for the bass drum.
noun
An inking pad used in lithographic printing.
Example Sentences
- "The only apparent difference between Playtex deodorant and nondeodorant tampons was the deodorant, yet the deodorant tampons did not stimulate the production of TSST-1."
- "I examined a tampon, from the outside only without removing the wrapper because I did not want to waste one, and considered aloud the consequences of pushing the offensively shaped object into my vagina."
Etymology
First attested in 1848. Borrowed from French tampon, from Middle French tampon, a nasalised variant of tapon, a diminutive or augmented form of Old French tape (“plug, bung, tap”), from Frankish *tappō (“stopper, plug”), from Proto-Germanic *tappô (“plug, tap”). Cognate with Old High German zapfo (“stopper”), Old English tæppa (“stopper”). Doublet of tampion. More at tap.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: [ˈtʰæmpɑn]
- British English: [ˈtʰæmpɒn]