/ˈpeɪ̯.pə/, /ˈpeɪ̯.pəɹ/, [ˈpʰeɪ̯.pɚ]
OriginFrom Middle English paper, from Anglo-Norman paper, from Old Catalan paper, borrowed from Latin papȳrus (and given the Catalan suffix -er), from Ancient Greek πάπυρος (pápuros).
- countable, uncountableA sheet material typically used for writing on or printing on (or as a non-waterproof container), usually made by draining cellulose fibres from a suspension in water.
“Draw on the paper! Not on the walls!”
“The paper mill on the south side of town makes various grades of paper and employs hundreds of people.”
“He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan'”
- abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountableEllipsis of newspaper; anything used as such (such as a newsletter or listing magazine).
“Read all about it in this morning's paper!”
“In those days, the Reporter Dispatch was the paper of record around here, and everyone who was anyone took the paper [was a subscriber].”
“"I don't want to spoil any comparison you are going to make," said Jim, "but I was at Winchester and New College." ¶ "That will do," said Mackenzie. "I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I wa”
- abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountableEllipsis of wallpaper.
“The paperhangers had just finished hanging the paper in the dining room when the interior decorator walked in and exclaimed that it was the wrong color.”
“There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.”
- abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountableEllipsis of wrapping paper.
“In those days, you asked the butcher for a block of cheese, and he wrapped it up in paper for you.”
“The kids could hardly wait to tear the paper off their Christmas gifts.”
- countable, uncountableAn open hand (a handshape resembling a sheet of paper), that beats rock and loses to scissors. It loses to lizard and beats Spock in rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.
- countable, uncountableA written document, generally shorter than a book; usually written as a school assignment or a government report.
“Near-synonym: report”
“I can't go out tonight. I have a paper due tomorrow, and I need to finish it tonight.”
- countable, uncountableA written document that reports scientific or academic research and is usually subjected to peer review before publication in a scientific journal (as a journal article or the manuscript for one) or in the proceedings of a scientific or academic meeting (such as a conference, workshop, or symposium)…
“Their team published a paper in the leading journal of their field, and its widespread impact elevated the reputation of their university department.”
“This paper surveys the research methods and approaches used in the multidisciplinary field of applied language studies or language education over the last fourty^([sic]) years. Drawing on insights gai”
- British, Hong-Kong, countable, uncountableA set of examination questions to be answered at one session.
- countable, slang, uncountableMoney.
- uncountableAny financial assets other than specie, including paper money, commercial paper, and others.
“Why might not a Government annuity, the Principal of which was originally invested in Paper since the Cash suspension in 1797, be constituted the guarantee of Paper Money, emendating from that investi”
“That great, rich institution,[…]has three millions and a half specie in its vaults, and nearly six millions invested in paper, loans, discounts, pledges—suddenly turned up the other day[…].”
- New-Zealand, countable, uncountableA university course.
“a paper in ology”
“She's taking four papers this semester: two in psychology and two in sociology.”
- countable, uncountableA paper packet containing a quantity of items.
“a paper of pins, tacks, opium, etc.”
- countable, uncountableA medicinal preparation spread upon paper, intended for external application.
- countable, uncountableA substance resembling paper secreted by certain invertebrates as protection for their nests and eggs.
- countable, dated, uncountableFree passes of admission to a theatre, etc.
- broadly, countable, dated, uncountableThe people admitted by free passes.
- not-comparableMade of paper.
“At twilight in the summer[…]the mice come out. They[…]eat the luncheon crumbs. Mr. Checkly, for instance, always brought his dinner in a paper parcel in his coat-tail pocket, and ate it when so dispos”
- not-comparableInsubstantial (from the weakness of common paper)
“paper gangster”
“2016: Manila Standard, "Speed limiter law: A paper tiger"; Maricel Cruz
Speed limiter law: A paper tiger”
“2016: The Australian, "China says Australia ‘is no paper tiger, only a paper cat at best’"; Rowan Callick
It concluded that Australia was “not even a paper tiger, it’s only a paper cat at best””
- not-comparablePlanned (from plans being drawn up on paper)
“paper engine, rocket”
“"We have to be able to demonstrate that it is not just a paper engine but a real engine" and that development work has "mitigated all the risk".”
“2015: CBS News, "ULA unveils new rocket to replace Russian boosters"; William Harwood
In a background teleconference hosted by SpaceX late last week, an unnamed official dismissed ULA's new booster as”
- not-comparableHaving a title that is merely official, or given by courtesy or convention.
- transitiveTo apply paper to.
“to paper the hallway walls”
- transitiveTo document; to memorialize.
“After they reached an agreement, their staffs papered it up.”
- transitiveTo fill (a theatre or other paid event) with complimentary seats.
“Later, seat-filling or “papering” services cropped up, with organizations like Audience Extras, Play-by-Play,[…]”
- transitiveTo submit official papers to (a law court, etc.).
“As powerhouse lawyers shuttled to Cuba to meet clients and papered the federal courts with habeas corpus petitions, Guantanamo's isolation and lack of publicity, once the military's most powerful psyc”
“[…] the warning received only six weeks later for poor attendance as proof that the employer was unjustly papering his personnel file in an effort to create a reason for discharge.”
- transitiveTo give public notice (typically by displaying posters) that a person is wanted by the police or other authority.
- transitiveTo sandpaper.
- transitiveTo enfold in paper.
- To paste the endpapers and flyleaves at the beginning and end of a book before fitting it into its covers.
- Northeastern, USTo cover someone's house with toilet paper. Otherwise known as toilet papering or TPing.
Formspapers(plural) · papers(present, singular, third-person) · papering(participle, present) · papered(participle, past) · papered(past)