papier-mâché

[ pey-per-muh-shey, -ma-; French pa-pyey-mah-shey ]

noun

1. a substance made of pulped paper or paper pulp mixed with glue and other materials or of layers of paper glued and pressed together, molded when moist to form various articles, and becoming hard and strong when dry.

adjective

1. made of papier-mâché.
2. easily destroyed or discredited; false, pretentious, or illusory:

   a papier-mâché façade of friendship.

papier-mâché

/ ˌpæpjeɪˈmæʃeɪ; papjemɑʃe /

noun

1. a hard strong substance suitable for painting on, made of paper pulp or layers of paper mixed with paste, size, etc, and moulded when moist

adjective

1. made of papier-mâché

Word History and Origins

Origin of papier-mâché¹

1745–55; < French: literally, “chewed paper”

Word History and Origins

Origin of papier-mâché¹

C18: from French, literally: chewed paper

Example Sentences

Villa and Zapata looked on, smiling their papier mache smiles, sure they had seen something like this before.

From The Daily Beast

The rhinoceros, again looking pretty aimless and beaten down, was made—beautifully—of papier mache.

From The Daily Beast

Our papier-mache manufacturers, as well as the Continental ones, should go to Yeddo to learn what can be done with paper.

From Project Gutenberg

One cap is of lacquered papier-mache in the form of a cow's hoof inverted.

From Project Gutenberg

To all appearance, the room was entirely unfurnished, except that in the middle of it was a hideous papier mache screen.

From Project Gutenberg

Stuff shell with tow to hold papier mache filling of limbs in place until dry.

From Project Gutenberg

Turtles mounted with sawdust dry very quickly and usually very slowly when finished in papier mache.

From Project Gutenberg