pamphlet
Americannoun
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a complete publication of generally less than 80 pages stitched or stapled together and usually having a paper cover.
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a short treatise or essay, generally a controversial tract, on some subject of contemporary interest.
a political pamphlet.
noun
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a brief publication generally having a paper cover; booklet
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a brief treatise, often on a subject of current interest, published in pamphlet form
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pamphlet
1375–1425; late Middle English pamflet < Anglo-Latin panfletus, pamfletus, syncopated variant of Pamphiletus, diminutive of Medieval Latin Pamphilus, title of a 12th-century Latin comedy. See -et
Explanation
A pamphlet is a little booklet with a soft (usually paper) cover that briefly addresses a particular subject of interest. The word pamphlet comes from Pamphilet, from a Latin love poem that was popular in the 12th century. “Pamphilus,” the original Latin title, means “loved by all.” When the printing press came along in the 15th century, pamphlets became a good way to publicize your ideas — they were relatively cheap and you could print lots of them. They’re still used in political campaigns, and sometimes armies distribute pamphlets when they’re trying to communicate with people across a wide area.
Vocabulary lists containing pamphlet
"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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List 9
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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.
When I first came to New York, we did a thing called the Pamphlet Architecture Reading Room in 1980.
From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2017
By way of evidence, he read a passage from the document they had distributed—a text known as the Yellow Pamphlet, after the color of the paper it was printed on.
From Slate • Oct. 16, 2017
The Purple Pamphlet, a report by the panel, turned off people who found the material obscene.
From Washington Times • Jun. 19, 2016
Troubling news, to be sure, so Dr. Pamphlet prescribed me some antibiotics to quell the inflammation.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2015
The following Sheets contain an Answer to a Pamphlet, which appeared on the Close of the last Session of Parliament, and is entitled, An Account of the Expedition to Carthagena.
From A Journal of the Expedition to Carthagena With Notes: In Answer to a Late Pamphlet Entitled, An account of the Expedition to Carthagena by Anonymous
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
