papery

[ pey-puh-ree ]

adjective

1. like paper; thin or flimsy:

   the papery petals of the narcissus.

ˈpapery

/ ˈpeɪpərɪ /

adjective

1. like paper, esp in thinness, flimsiness, or dryness

Derived Forms

• ˈpaperiness, noun

Other Words From

• paper·i·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of papery¹

First recorded in 1620–30; paper + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The biggest turtle eggs today are just a few inches long, with papery thin shells.

From Popular-Science

An inspector in 2016 flagged a package coming into the San Francisco airport holding a papery insect nest but not mentioning insects on the label.

From Science News

What he calls a “papery palace of stories” sustains identity and ties Mufti to place.

From The Daily Beast

Powell's is the largest bookstore in the world, an endless, multi-storey universe of papery smells and towering shelves.

From Project Gutenberg

The fronds are smooth, deep-green in color, slightly paler beneath, and of a rather firm papery texture.

From Project Gutenberg

The lowest Marsupials as regards the ossicles are the Peramelidae, whose ossicles are of a frail papery consistence.

From Project Gutenberg

The small burs have a thin, papery lining, and short, widely-branching spines.

From Project Gutenberg

Fruit a fleshy pome, with the cells formed by papery or cartilaginous membranes within juicy flesh.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• chiffon
• decrepit
• feeble
• insubstantial
• rickety
• shaky
• tacky