From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Platen \Plat"en\, noun [F. platine, fr. plat flat. See {Plate}, and cf. {Platin}.] (Mach.) (a) The part of a printing press which presses the paper against the type and by which the impression is made. (b) Hence, an analogous part of a typewriter, on which the paper rests to receive an impression. (c) The movable table of a machine tool, as a planer, on which the work is fastened, and presented to the action of the tool; -- also called {table}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: work table of a machine tool
2: the flat plate of a printing press that presses the paper against the type
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