tampon
tampon Lexical Profile
tampon Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A cylindrical plug of absorbent material inserted into the vagina to absorb menstrual blood.
"The school nurse stocks free pads and tampons in the health office for students."
A plug of cotton, gauze, or other absorbent material inserted into a wound or body cavity to stop bleeding or absorb secretions.
"The surgeon placed a sterile gauze tampon into the nasal cavity to control the hemorrhage."
• verb
To plug or pack a wound or body cavity with a tampon in order to arrest bleeding or absorb fluid.
"The physician had to tampon the patient's nasal passage to stop the severe nosebleed."
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-19th century from French tampon, a nasalized variant of tapon ('plug' or 'stopper'), which is ultimately of Germanic origin and related to the English word 'tap'.