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paperweight

American  
[pey-per-weyt] / ˈpeɪ pərˌweɪt /

noun

  1. a small, heavy object of glass, metal, etc., placed on papers to keep them from scattering.

paperweight British  
/ ˈpeɪpəˌweɪt /

noun

  1. a small heavy object placed on loose papers to prevent them from scattering

"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 paperweight

First recorded in 1855–60; paper + weight

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.

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