3. A printed or written instrument; a document, essay, or the like; a
writing; as, a paper read before a scientific society.
They brought a paper to me to be signed.
Dryden.
4. A printed sheet appearing periodically; a newspaper; a journal; as,
a daily paper.
5. Negotiable evidences of indebtedness; notes; bills of exchange, and
the like; as, the bank holds a large amount of his paper.
6. Decorated hangings or coverings for walls, made of paper. See Paper
hangings, below.
7. A paper containing (usually) a definite quantity; as, a paper of
pins, tacks, opium, etc.
8. A medicinal preparation spread upon paper, intended for external
application; as, cantharides paper.
Paper is manufactured in sheets, the trade names of which, together
with the regular sizes in inches, are shown in the following table. But
paper makers vary the size somewhat.
In the manufacture of books, etc., a sheet, of whatever size
originally, is termed, when folded once, a folio; folded twice, a
quarto, or 4to; three times, an octavo, or 8vo; four times, a
sextodecimo, or 16mo; five times, a 32mo; three times, with an offcut
folded twice and set in, a duodecimo, or 12mo; four times, with an
offcut folded three times and set in, a 24mo.
<! p. 1038 !>
Paper is often used adjectively or in combination, having commonly an
obvious signification; as, paper cutter or paper-cutter; paper knife,
paper-knife, or paperknife; paper maker, paper-maker, or papermaker;
paper mill or paper-mill; paper weight, paper-weight, or paperweight,
etc.
Business paper, checks, notes, drafts, etc., given in payment of actual
indebtedness; -- opposed to accommodation paper. -- Fly paper, paper
covered with a sticky preparation, -- used for catching flies. -- Laid
paper. See under Laid. -- Paper birch (Bot.), the canoe birch tree
(Betula papyracea). -- Paper blockade, an ineffective blockade, as by a
weak naval force. -- Paper boat (Naut.), a boat made of water-proof
paper. -- Paper car wheel (Railroad), a car wheel having a steel tire,
and a center formed of compressed paper held between two plate- iron
disks. Forney. -- Paper credit, credit founded upon evidences of debt,
such as promissory notes, duebills, etc. -- Paper hanger, one who
covers walls with paper hangings. -- Paper hangings, paper printed with
colored figures, or otherwise made ornamental, prepared to be pasted
against the walls of apartments, etc.; wall paper. -- Paper house, an
audience composed of people who have come in on free passes. [Cant] --
Paper money, notes or bills, usually issued by government or by a
banking corporation, promising payment of money, and circulated as the
representative of coin. -- Paper mulberry. (Bot.) See under Mulberry.
-- Paper muslin, glazed muslin, used for linings, etc. -- Paper
nautilus. (Zoˆl.) See Argonauta. -- Paper reed (Bot.), the papyrus. - -
Paper sailor. (Zoˆl.) See Argonauta. -- Paper stainer, one who colors
or stamps wall paper. De Colange. -- Paper wasp (Zoˆl.), any wasp which
makes a nest of paperlike material, as the yellow jacket. -- Paper
weight, any object used as a weight to prevent loose papers from being
displaced by wind, or otherwise. -- Parchment paper. See Papyrine. --
Tissue paper, thin, gauzelike paper, such as is used to protect
engravings in books. -- Wall paper. Same as Paper hangings, above. --
Waste paper, paper thrown aside as worthless or useless, except for
uses of little account. -- Wove paper, a writing paper with a uniform
surface, not ribbed or watermarked.
Pa"per (?), a. Of or pertaining to paper; made of paper; resembling
paper; existing only on paper; unsubstantial; as, a paper box; a paper
army.
Pa"per, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Papered(?); p. pr. & vb. n. Papering.] 1.
To cover with paper; to furnish with paper hangings; as, to paper a
room or a house.