- tampon
- 1848, from Fr. tampon, from M.Fr. tampon "plug" (see tampion). Tampax, proprietary name registered in U.S. 1932, is based on tampon.
- pessary
- c.1400, from L.L. pessarium, from Gk. pessarion "medicated tampon of wool or lint," dim. of pessos "pessary," earlier "oval stone used in games," perhaps of Semitic origin.
- tampion
- 1430, "plug, bung," from M.Fr. tampon, nasalized variant of O.Fr. tapon "piece of cloth to stop a hole" (1382), a suffixed form of Frank. *tappo "stopper, plug," related to O.H.G. zapfo and O.E. tæppa "stopper" (see tap (2)). Meaning "wooden plug for the muzzle of a gun" (to keep out rain or seawater) is recorded from c.1625.
- rag (n.)
- c.1310, probably from O.N. rogg "shaggy tuft," earlier raggw-, or possibly from O.Dan. rag (see rug), or a back-formation from ragged (c.1300), which is from O.N. raggaðr "shaggy," via O.E. raggig "rag-like." It also may represent an unrecorded O.E. cognate of O.N. rogg. As an insulting term for "newspaper, magazine" it dates from 1734; slang for "tampon, sanitary napkin" is attested from 1930s. Rags "personal clothing" is from 1855, Amer.Eng. Rags-to-riches "rise from poverty to wealth" is attested from 1947. Ragtop "convertible car" is from 1955. Raghead, insulting term for "South Asian or Middle Eastern person," first attested 1921.