Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

pap1

Pronunciation: /pap/
Definition of pap

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1bland soft or semi-liquid food such as that suitable for babies or invalids:a trayful of tasteless pap
  • (in Africa and the Caribbean) porridge, usually made with maize meal.
  • 2worthless or trivial reading matter or entertainment:limitless channels serving up an undemanding diet of pap

adjective

South African
  • (of food) lacking flavour and firmness: the apple is so pap I won’t eat it
  • (of a person) lacking physical or emotional strength; feeble: this flu makes people feel pap
  • (of an inflatable object) under-inflated; flat: my wheel was pap so I had to push the bike home

Origin:

late Middle English: probably from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch pappe, probably based on Latin pappare 'eat'

pap in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of pap in the US English dictionary
  |  Cite
Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

Shop for an Oxford dictionary

Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

logomachy

/ ləˈgɒməki /
noun
an argument about words …