wrapper

Etymology

It is formed from English wrap + -er,^[2][3][4][5] first as inherited from Middle English wrappere, from the verb wrappen.^[5][4] The verb wrap is of unknown origin;^[2][6] the Shorter Oxford compares North Frisian wrappe (“to stop up”) and a dialect word Danish vrappe (“to stuff”),^[3] and Etymonline mentions Watkins's suggestion of a Scandinavian source, from Proto-Indo-European *werp- (“to turn, wind”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Something in which a thing is wrapped: about 1460, in John Russell's Boke of Nurture.^[2] Etymonline dates the word to the late 15th century and notes that in its oldest record it is a piece of fine cloth for wrapping bread.^[4]

Semantic evolution

From the general sense of a covering, the word took on many specific ones.^[2][3] An article of clothing wound about the head is recorded from 1548, and a shawl or mantle from 1782;^[2] a loose robe or gown for indoor or household wear from 1725, in Defoe,^[2] or by 1734 in Etymonline's dating.^[4] Bartlett (1848) listed it as a loose dress or gown in American use,^[7] and in Scots and southern English dialect it was a working apron or overall.^[8] A superior tobacco leaf used for the outside of cigars is called wrapper from 1688, chiefly in American use,^[2][3] and in 19th-century American English a wrapper could be a cigar itself.^[2] The paper cover of a book is recorded from 1806, and the cover of a newspaper or magazine sent by post from 1848.^[2][4] In slang, a wrapper was an overcoat from 1830.^[9] In northern Canada it was a tarpaulin covering the load on a dog sled.^[10] A person who wraps parcels is called a wrapper from the late 16th century.^[3] The verb, to put into a wrapper, appears in 1885.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1460 – that in which something is wrapped.^[2]
• 1548 – a garment wrapped about the head (rare).^[2]
• 1688 – the tobacco leaf forming the outside of a cigar.^[2]
• 1725 – a loose gown for indoor wear.^[2]
• 1806 – the paper cover of a book.^[2]
• 1830 – slang, an overcoat.^[9]
• 1848 – a cover for a newspaper or magazine sent by post.^[2]
• 1885 – verb, to cover with a wrapper.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A covering, usually of paper, plastic or foil, in which something is wrapped: She dropped the sweet wrapper in the bin.^[11][5][3]
2. A paper cover around a newspaper or magazine sent by post.^[5][3][2]
3. A dust jacket or paper cover of a book.^[11][5][2]
4. The leaf of fine tobacco that forms the outer layer of a cigar.^[11][5][2]
5. A loose dressing gown or negligee, or a loose gown for housework.^[11][3][2]
6. A person or thing that wraps, especially a person whose job is wrapping parcels.^[5][3]

Verb

1. To cover something with a wrapper.^[2][3]

Related words

• wrap
• wrapping
• enwrap

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Bartlett, John Russell (1848), Dictionary of Americanisms, New York: Bartlett and Welford
8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
9. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
10. ^ Dollinger, Stefan, ed., A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles, 3rd ed. (online), Vancouver: University of British Columbia, dchp.arts.ubc.ca
11. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins