Etymologically
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paper

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:39. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈpeɪ.pə/, US /ˈpeɪ.pɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English paper, also papir,[2][3] borrowed from Anglo-Norman papir and Old French papier “paper, document”,[4][2][3] from Latin papȳrus (“papyrus plant; paper made from it”),[4][5] from Ancient Greek πάπυρος (pápuros, “any plant of the papyrus genus”),[4][6][5] a loanword of unknown origin, often said to be Egyptian.[4] Word Origins notes that papyrus was taken directly from Latin, first as the name of the reed in Middle English and only in the 18th century for the writing material.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The writing material: 1341–2 in the OED,[8] 1364 in Barnhart,[2] or the mid-14th century.[4] Paper bearing writing, written documents, is from 1386.[8]

Semantic evolution

A newspaper is a paper from the 1640s[4] or 1642.[2] An essay or dissertation is from the 1660s,[4] and papers, documents establishing one's identity or standing, from the 1680s.[4] Paper money is from the 1690s,[4] and bills of exchange are paper by 1722.[4] Wallpaper is from 1764.[4] The verb, “to write down on paper”, is from 1594;[8][4] “to decorate a room with paper” is from 1774,[4][8] and paper over, “to conceal temporarily”, from 1955.[8][4] The adjective, “made of paper”, is from the 1590s,[4] and “existing only on paper, flimsy” from 1716.[4] Paper tiger (1952) translates a Chinese phrase popularized by Mao Zedong.[4] Paper clip is by 1875.[4] A set of examination questions is from the 19th century.[9]

Timeline

  • 1341–2 – the writing material.[8]
  • 1386 – written documents.[8]
  • 1594 – verb, to write down.[8]
  • 1642 – a newspaper.[2]
  • 1660s – an essay.[4]
  • 1690s – paper money.[4]
  • 1764 – wallpaper.[4]
  • 1875 – paper clip.[4]
  • 1952 – paper tiger.[4]
  • 1955 – paper over.[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A thin material made from cellulose pulp, used for writing, printing, wrapping and covering walls.
  2. A sheet of this material, or a written document.
  3. A newspaper.
  4. An essay or scholarly article.
  5. (plural) Documents proving identity or status.
  6. A set of examination questions.
  7. Paper money or commercial paper.

Verb

  1. To cover with paper or wallpaper.
  2. To conceal a problem: to paper over the cracks.

Adjective

  1. Made of paper.
  2. Existing only on paper; theoretical or flimsy.

Word family

  • paperer
  • paperless
  • paperlike
  • paper tiger
  • papyrus
  • paper over
  • paperback
  • newspaper
  • wallpaper
  • bible

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press