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

Certainly there must be a few tradwives whipping up hissy fits about this on TikTok, pledging to abandon King Arthur in favor of some brand best suited to make papier mache paste.

From Salon

Experts worked on restoring the papier mache ceiling in the university's grand durbar hall.

From BBC

BBC Scotland presenter Kaye Adams told listeners to her Mornings radio programme that at the end of the festival, where she was working as a reporter for STV, she had bought a life-sized papier mache woman she calls Irene.

From BBC

But the first look was surely the best, a surrealist white coat with tubular arms that looked like it had been made from papier mache.

From Seattle Times

It includes solemn Masses, intricate dances and parades of “gegants,” larger-than-life historical and fantasy figures usually made of papier maché and borne by revelers.

From Seattle Times