Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

onionskin

American  
[uhn-yuhn-skin] / ˈʌn jənˌskɪn /

noun

  1. a thin, lightweight, translucent, glazed paper, used especially for making carbon copies.


onionskin British  
/ ˈʌnjənˌskɪn /

noun

  1. a glazed translucent paper

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of onionskin

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; onion + skin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

I scoured the onionskin pages of Hemmings Motor News in search of what the English call a “well-sorted” car: mechanically sound but far from concours, one that I wouldn’t be afraid to drive.

From Washington Post Nov. 21, 2021

Her mother dutifully obliged, writing her instructions in Hindi on onionskin paper that Jaffrey still has.

From The Guardian May 6, 2019

Mr. Newell directs with sensitivity and the occasional invention; the movie has an almost tactile appreciation of period detail, as when Juliet sets to writing, the camera lingers on her onionskin typing paper.

From New York Times Aug. 17, 2018

First, he read the original investigation reports, some of which he said were written on onionskin paper.

From Washington Times Jan. 9, 2017

The booklet is thin, printed on onionskin paper, curling, bound with staples.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training