onionskin

American

[uhn-yuhn-skin] / ˈʌn jənˌskɪn /

noun

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

onionskin British

/ ˈʌnjənˌskɪn /

noun

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:

onionskin

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

Colors ranged from the palest onionskin to an almost brilliant maraschino cherry, yet the color was rarely a clue to the body and character of the wine.

From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2019

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

From The Guardian ● May 6, 2019

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

From Washington Times ● Jan. 9, 2017

Bryant reached for a sheet of onionskin paper, a blurred third or fourth carbon.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023