sb. 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., 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. 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 sb. 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. Ibid. (1497), 105. Tampons for gonnes … xijmlc. 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. Stanyhurst, 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, trans. 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.
1621. 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 Tampion, 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.
