tampion, tompion, n.
(ˈtæmpɪən, ˈtɒmp-)
Forms: α. 5 tampyne, 5–6 -on, -ond, -yon, 6 -ioun, 6–8 -in, 7 -eon, 5– tampion; 6–7 tampkin, 7–8 tamkin; (7–9 tampoon). β. 7 tomping, 8–9 -ion, 9 -eon; 7 tomking, 7–8 -kin, tompkin.
[a. F. tampon, in same senses (1440 in Godef. Compl.), a nasalized var. of F. tapon (1382 in Hatz.-Darm.) a piece of cloth to stop a hole, etc., deriv. of tape plug; cf. tamper, nasalized var. of taper vb. to plug. The original form tampon has undergone many corruptions in Eng.: cf. pompon, pompion, pumpkin. The form tampoon (cf. dragoon, etc.) appears to be confined to dictionaries (from Phillips downwards). Tompion is a frequent form in all senses. See also tampon.]
† 1. A plug for stopping an aperture: e.g. a bung for a cask, etc. Obs.
| c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 68 in Babees Bk. (1868) 121 With fawcet & tampyne redy to stoppe when ye se tyme. 1504 Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) 393, viii. d. to hym that skowre the tamponds of the pypes. Ibid., The skowryng of the tampones of the pypes. c 1512 in Archæologia (1902) LVIII. 302 A susp[i]rall with a tampioun to clense the home pype. 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. i. 37 You must suffer the water to passe away by some tampion. 1658 Phillips, Tampoon, or Tampkin, a small piece of wood serving for a bung. 1729 G. Shelvocke Artillery iv. 174 The Globe..shall be filled..and then stopped with a Tompion that has been steeped in hot Pitch. [1882: see 3 fig.] |
† b. Farriery. A seton; a tent; a pessary:
cf. tampon n. 1.
Obs.| 1565 Blundevil Horsemanship iv. lxvi. (1580) 27 Make two stiffe long rowles, or tampins, of linnen clowtes, or such like stuffe, sharpe pointed like Suger loues:..thrust them vp into the Horses nostrils. 1610 Markham Masterp. ii. cxi. 395 Put therto a tampin made of the inner rinde of Elder barke. Ibid. clvii. 464 Take a tampin of horse haire twound together. |
† 2. A disk-shaped or cylindrical piece of wood made to fit the bore of a muzzle-loading gun, and rammed home between the charge and the missile, to act as a wad.
Obs.| 1481–90 Howard Househ. Bks. (Roxb.) 40 Item ij. c. tampons xvj. d. 1485 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 69 Gonne Tampyons..ccc. 1497 Ibid. 105 Tampons for gonnes..xijml c. Ibid. 340 Tampiones..ccc shotte. 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. ii. xxvi. 139 Cartes laden with Elme wode for to make the said tampons. 1530 Palsgr. 279/1 Tampyon for a gon, tampon. 1582 Stanhurst Descr. Liparen in æneis, etc. (Arb.) 137 Slinging Stoans, and burlye bulets, lyke tamponds. 1588 Acts Privy Counc. (1897) XVI. 25 Arrowes for the said muskettes with tampkines of eche 1,000. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. xviii. (Roxb.) 142/1 Of charging..a Morter peece..put in the Tampkin..a round peece of soft wood put into the mouth of the chamber. 1692 Capt. Smith's Seaman's Gram. ii. iii. 92 Wedges, Tomkings, Priming-Irons. Ibid. xxi. 134 Draw out the Ladle, and with the Tampion at the other end of the Staff, thrust home the Powder. 1727–41 Chambers Cycl., Tampion, Tompion, Tamkin, or Tomkin, a kind of plug or stopple..to keep down the powder in a fire-arm. 1828 Spearman Brit. Gunner (ed. 2) 307 In the larger mortars,..the chamber should be filled with powder, a tompeon of wood placed over it, and both the tompeon and shell surrounded with sifted earth or sand. |
† b. Applied to the bottom plate of grape-shot, which serves as a wad to the charge.
Obs.| 1802 James Milit. Dict. (1816), Tampions, in sea-service artillery, are the iron bottoms to which the grape-shot are fixed. 1823 Crabb Techn. Dict., Tompions. [Hence in various later Dicts.] |
3. A block of wood fitting into the muzzle of a gun, and serving to exclude rain, sea-water, etc.
| a 1625 Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. MS. 2301), Tampkin is a small peece of Wood turned fitt for the mouth of anie peece which is putt in..to keepe out the raine or Sea water, from washing in, when the Peeces lie without Bord. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xiv. 68 A Tomkin is a round peece of Wood put into the Peeces mouth and couered with Tallow. 1662 J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 27 The Tampion, which they had forgotten to take out of one of the pieces, pass'd very near me. 1748 Smollett Rod. Rand. lxv, He commanded..the tompions to be taken out of the guns. 1835 Marryat Pirate xiv, Clear away the starboard guns, and take out the tompions. 1904 Fitchett Commander of Hirondelle 157 The wooden tompions were still lying harmlessly within their iron lips. |
| fig. 1756 Gentl. Mag. XXVI. 398 Take out the tompkin of your mouth, and fire away loud as thunder. 1864 Blackmore Clara Vaughan lxxiii, She commenced an active bombardment, pulling out the tompions from every gun of mock religion. 1882 G. Macdonald Castle Warlock xv. (1883) 83 No sooner did the..note of the discharge of its [bottle of claret's] tompion reach his ear [etc.]. |
4. In the organ: see
quots.| 1864 Webster, Tampion,..a plug used to stop closely the upper end of an organ-pipe. 1865 Chambers' Encycl. VII. 111/2 (Organ) A mouth-pipe may be stopped at the upper end by a plug called a tompion, the effect of which is to lower the pitch an octave. |
† 5. (See
quot.)
Obs. rare—1.
| 1611 Cotgr., Pivot,..the Piuot, or (as some call it) the Tampin of a gate, or great doore. |
6. = tampon 2.
| 1877 Knight Dict. Mech., Tompion..2 (Lithography) the inking pad of the lithographic printer; Tompon. [Hence in mod. Dicts.] |
Hence
ˈtampion,
tompion v. trans., to insert in the manner of a tampion or plug.
| 1897 Daily News 3 Feb. 5/3 London..is not without its trophy lamp-posts, for..in front of the house once occupied by Admiral Boscawen, are two which are tompioned into old cannon captured from the French in a naval fight. |