platen noun. ['plat(ǝ)n] Also (now rare) platten. LME.
[Old & mod. French platine, from plat (see PLAT adjective, -INE⁴), partly also popular alt. of patène PATEN.]
1. Ecclesiastical. = PATEN 1. LME-E17.

2. A flat plate of metal for any of various purposes. M16-E19.

3. Printing. An iron (formerly wooden) plate in a printing-press, which presses paper against inked type to secure an impression; a flat metal surface by means of which pressure is applied in a press. L16.

4. In a typewriter or computer printer, the surface (usu. a cylindrical roller) against which paper is held and characters are typed or printed. L19.

5. Engineering. The movable table of a planing- or milling-machine. E20.

Comb.:
platen press a printing-press or other machine having a platen.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲