From Middle English paper, from Anglo-Norman papier, from roa-oca paper, borrowed from Latin papȳrus (and given the Catalan suffix -er), from Ancient Greek πάπυρος.

• (RP) IPA: /ˈpeɪpə/
• (America) enPR: pā'pər, IPA: /ˈpeɪpɚ/, [ˈpʰeɪpɚ]
• (India) IPA: [ˈpeːpə(r)], [ˈpeɪpə(r)]

paper

1. A 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.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter X, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:

     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's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.

2. A newspaper or anything used as such (such as a newsletter or listing magazine).
   • 1909, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], chapter II, in The Squire’s Daughter, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, published 1919, →OCLC ↗:

     "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 was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by—except steal. […]."

3. (uncountable) Wallpaper.
   • 1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter II, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC ↗; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], →OCLC ↗, page 0091 ↗:

     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.

4. (uncountable) Wrapping paper.
5. (rock paper scissors) An 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.
6. A written document, generally shorter than a book (white paper, term paper), in particular one written for the Government.
7. A 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).
8. A scholastic essay.
9. (Britain, Hong Kong) A set of examination questions to be answered at one session.
10. (slang) Money.
11. (finance, uncountable) Any financial assets other than specie.
    • 1812, William Major, Theory of Money and Exchanges, page XV:

      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 investiture and suspension, and the Parliament authority transferred to its security, as it has been to its creation, in preference to all others, while Paper continues our general Medium.

    • 1859, The Bankers' Magazine, and Statistical Register, page 244:

      […] three millions and a half specie in its vaults, and nearly six millions invested in paper, loans, discounts, pledges […]

12. (New Zealand) A university course.
13. A paper packet containing a quantity of items.

    a paper of pins, tacks, opium, etc.

14. A medicinal preparation spread upon paper, intended for external application.

    cantharides paper

15. A substance resembling paper secreted by certain invertebrates as protection for their nests and eggs.
16. (dated) Free passes of admission to a theatre, etc.
17. (dated, by extension) The people admitted by free passes.

• (medium used in writing) bookfell

• papier-mâché
• papirosa
• papyrus

• French: papier
• German: Papier
• Italian: carta
• Portuguese: papel
• Russian: бума́га
• Spanish: papel

• French: feuille, papier
• Russian: бума́га

• German: Papier, Dokument
• Portuguese: artigo
• Russian: бума́га
• Spanish: artículo

• French: article
• German: Artikel
• Italian: articolo, pubblicazione, saggio, studio, ricerca
• Portuguese: artigo
• Russian: статья́
• Spanish: papel académico, artículo científico

• French: rédaction
• German: Referat

• French: cours

paper (not comparable)

1. Made of paper.

   paper bag; paper plane

   • 1892, Walter Besant, chapter II, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC ↗:

     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 disposed, sprinkling crumbs lavishly […] on the floor.

2. Insubstantial from the weakness of common paper

   paper tiger; paper gangster

   • 2016: Manila Standard, [https://web.archive.org/web/20161225070925/http://thestandard.com.ph/motoring/216256/speed-limiter-law-a-paper-tiger.html "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”

3. Planned from plans being drawn up on paper

   paper rocket; paper engine

   • 2015, Flight Global, “Airbus Helicopters to begin Arrano tests for H160 shortly ↗”, in Dominic Perr:

     We have to be able to demonstrate that it is not just a paper engine but a real engine

   • 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 a "paper rocket," saying he doubted it would be significantly cheaper than ULA's current stable of launchers.

   • 2010: BBC News, "Pratt & Whitney eyes global plane engine deals" ↗; Jorn Madslien

     Ours is not a paper engine... these are real engines that are in production today

   • 2010, Spaceflight Now, “Musk refutes report slamming safety standards ↗”, in Stephen Clark:

     "The Ares 1 is a paper rocket that's far off in the future," Musk said. "Falcon 9 is a real rocket, most of which is at Cape Canaveral right now."

4. Having a title that is merely official, or given by courtesy or convention.

   a paper baron; a paper lord

• French: papier, papier
• German: indicated by forming compounds with Papier: paper bag: Papierbeutel, paper cup: Papierbecher, etc
• Italian: di carta, cartaceo
• Portuguese: de papel
• Russian: бума́жный
• Spanish: de papel, papelero

paper (papers, present participle papering; simple past and past participle papered)

1. (transitive) To apply paper to.

   to paper the hallway walls

2. (transitive) To document; to memorialize.

   After they reached an agreement, their staffs papered it up.

3. (transitive) To fill (a theatre or other paid event) with complimentary seats.

   Synonyms: paper the house

   • 2020, Kelly Kessler, Broadway in the Box, page 198:

     Later, seat-filling or “papering” services cropped up, with organizations like Audience Extras, Play-by-Play, […]

4. (transitive) To submit official papers to (a law court, etc.).
5. (transitive) To give public notice (typically by displaying posters) that a person is wanted by the police or other authority.
6. (transitive) To sandpaper.
7. (transitive) To enfold in paper.
8. To paste the endpapers and flyleaves at the beginning and end of a book before fitting it into its covers.
9. (Northeastern US) To cover someone's house with toilet paper. Otherwise known as toilet papering or TPing.

• paper over

• German: tapezieren (with wallpaper)
• Portuguese: empapelar