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pulp (pŭlp)
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n.
1. A soft moist shapeless mass of matter.
2.
a. The soft moist part of fruit.
b. Plant matter remaining after a process, such as the extraction of juice by pressure, has been completed: apple pulp.
3. The soft pith forming the contents of the stem of a plant.
4. A mixture of cellulose material, such as wood, paper, and rags, ground up and moistened to make paper.
5. The soft tissue forming the inner structure of a tooth and containing nerves and blood vessels.
6. A mixture of crushed ore and water.
7.
a. A publication, such as a magazine or book, containing lurid subject matter: "The pulps took the mystery story out of the parlors ... and onto the 'mean streets'" (Tony Hillerman).
b. Lurid or sensational writing or subject matter: made a good living writing pulp.
v. pulped, pulp·ing, pulps
v.tr.
1. To reduce to pulp.
2. To remove the pulp from (coffee berries).
v.intr.
To be reduced to a pulpy consistency.

[Middle English, from Latin pulpa, fleshy parts of the body, fruit pulp.]

pulpi·ness n.
pulpous (pŭlpəs), pulpy adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.