papier-mâché

[ pey-per-muh-shey, -ma-; French pa-pyey-mah-shey ]

/ ˌpeɪ pər məˈʃeɪ, -mæ-; French pa pyeɪ mɑˈʃeɪ /

Save This Word!

noun

a substance made of pulped paper or paper pulp mixed with glue and other materials or of layers of paper glued and pressed together, molded when moist to form various articles, and becoming hard and strong when dry.

adjective

made of papier-mâché.

easily destroyed or discredited; false, pretentious, or illusory: a papier-mâché façade of friendship.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Also pa·per-mâ·ché

[pey-per-muh-shey, -ma-] /ˌpeɪ pər məˈʃeɪ, -mæ-/ .

Origin of papier-mâché

1745–55; <French: literally, “chewed paper”

Words nearby papier-mâché

Paphian Goddess, Paphlagonia, Paphos, Papiamento, papier collé, papier-mâché, papilionaceous, papilla, papilla mammae, papilla of corium, papillary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use papier-mâché in a sentence

His papier-mâché characters are either sounding boards or set dressing.
An Ivy League Frat Boy’s Shallow Repentance|Stefan Beck|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Villa and Zapata looked on, smiling their papier mache smiles, sure they had seen something like this before.
Mexican Protesters Look to Start a New Revolution|Jason McGahan|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A collection of rock-like papier-mâché sculptures stands across from “Cymbals, Smoke and Scissors.”
Art’s Bad Boy Dan Colen Is All Grown Up|Justin Jones|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The rhinoceros, again looking pretty aimless and beaten down, was made—beautifully—of papier mache.
How to Catch a Depressed Gorilla, Japanese-Style|Tim Teeman|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A pregame rally south of the Washington Monument featured drum circles and papier maché puppets.
Left-Wing Crazies Take Their Turn|John Avlon|October 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Papier maché buttons came in with Henry Clay's patent in 1778.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
It is also the prime ingredient in the papier moure, a popular fly paper.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
L A composition of papier mach, with which Dr. Azoux has so beautifully represented anatomical subjects.
History of Embalming|J. N. Gannal
The pole whereby it swung between the shoulders of the bearers was rich with the painted papier-maché of Cashmere.
Soldier Stories|Rudyard Kipling
Filter through papier Chardin, by the aid of a hot-water funnel, if necessary (Fig. 101), into a sterile flask.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre

British Dictionary definitions for papier-mâché

papier-mâché

/ (ˌpæpjeɪˈmæʃeɪ, French papjemɑʃe) /

noun

a hard strong substance suitable for painting on, made of paper pulp or layers of paper mixed with paste, size, etc, and moulded when moist

adjective

made of papier-mâché

Word Origin for papier-mâché

C18: from French, literally: chewed 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