A mechanical device or wooden stretcher attached to the edges of woven cloth on a loom just below the fell. The temple holds the fabric taut transversely, preventing the edges from drawing in due to the tension of the weft yarn. This ensures the warp threads remain parallel and prevents excessive wear on the edge warp threads caused by the reed.
Heard on the job
The selvedges are pulling in too much, so adjust the temple to stretch the web out a bit more.