2. A sheet, leaf, or piece of such substance. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A printed or written instrument; a document, essay, or the like; a writing; as, a paper read before a scientific society. [ 1913 Webster ]

They brought a paper to me to be signed. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A printed sheet appearing periodically; a newspaper; a journal; as, a daily paper. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Negotiable evidences of indebtedness; notes; bills of exchange, and the like; as, the bank holds a large amount of his paper. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Decorated hangings or coverings for walls, made of paper. See Paper hangings, below. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A paper containing (usually) a definite quantity; as, a paper of pins, tacks, opium, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. A medicinal preparation spread upon paper, intended for external application; as, cantharides paper. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. pl. Documents establishing a person's identity, or status, or attesting to some right, such as the right to drive a vehicle; as, the border guard asked for his papers. [ PJC ]

☞ Paper is manufactured in sheets, the trade names of which, together with the regular sizes in inches, are shown in the following table. But paper makers vary the size somewhat. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

In the manufacture of books, etc., a sheet, of whatever size originally, is termed, when folded once, a folio; folded twice, a quarto, or 4to; three times, an octavo, or 8vo; four times, a sextodecimo, or 16mo; five times, a 32mo; three times, with an offcut folded twice and set in, a duodecimo, or 12mo; four times, with an offcut folded three times and set in, a 24mo. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Paper is often used adjectively or in combination, having commonly an obvious signification; as, paper cutter or paper-cutter; paper knife, paper-knife, or paperknife; paper maker, paper-maker, or papermaker; paper mill or paper-mill; paper weight, paper-weight, or paperweight, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Business paper, checks, notes, drafts, etc., given in payment of actual indebtedness; -- opposed to accommodation paper. --
Fly paper, paper covered with a sticky preparation, -- used for catching flies. --
Laid paper. See under Laid. --
Paper birch (Bot.), the canoe birch tree (Betula papyracea). --
Paper blockade, an ineffective blockade, as by a weak naval force. --
Paper boat (Naut.), a boat made of water-proof paper. --
Paper car wheel (Railroad), a car wheel having a steel tire, and a center formed of compressed paper held between two plate-iron disks. Forney. --
Paper credit, credit founded upon evidences of debt, such as promissory notes, duebills, etc. --
Paper hanger, one who covers walls with paper hangings. --
Paper hangings, paper printed with colored figures, or otherwise made ornamental, prepared to be pasted against the walls of apartments, etc.; wall paper. --
Paper house, an audience composed of people who have come in on free passes. [ Cant ] --
Paper money, notes or bills, usually issued by government or by a banking corporation, promising payment of money, and circulated as the representative of coin. --
Paper mulberry. (Bot.) See under Mulberry. --
Paper muslin, glazed muslin, used for linings, etc. --
Paper nautilus. (Zool.) See Argonauta. --
Paper reed (Bot.), the papyrus. --
Paper sailor. (Zool.) See Argonauta. --
Paper stainer, one who colors or stamps wall paper. De Colange. --
Paper wasp (Zool.), any wasp which makes a nest of paperlike material, as the yellow jacket. --
Paper weight, any object used as a weight to prevent loose papers from being displaced by wind, or otherwise. --
on paper. (a) in writing; as, I would like to see that on paper. (b) in theory, though not necessarily in paractice. (c) in the design state; planned, but not yet put into practice. --
Parchment paper. See Papyrine. --
Tissue paper, thin, gauzelike paper, such as is used to protect engravings in books. --
Wall paper. Same as Paper hangings, above. --
Waste paper, paper thrown aside as worthless or useless, except for uses of little account. --
Wove paper, a writing paper with a uniform surface, not ribbed or watermarked. --
paper tiger, a person or group that appears to be powerful and dangerous but is in fact weak and ineffectual. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Existing only on paper; unsubstantial; having very overrated power; as, a paper box; a paper army; a paper tiger. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. To fold or inclose in paper. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To put on paper; to make a memorandum of. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]