pulp

 
Pronunciation: /pʌlp/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1a soft, wet, shapeless mass of material: boiling with soda will reduce your peas to pulp
  • the soft fleshy part of a fruit.
  • a soft wet mass of fibres derived from rags or wood, used in papermaking.
  • vascular tissue filling the interior cavity and root canals of a tooth.
  • Mining pulverized ore mixed with water.
  • 2 [usually as modifier] popular or sensational writing that is regarded as being of poor quality: the story is a mix of pulp fiction and Greek tragedy
    [because formerly printed on cheap paper]

verb

[with object]
  • crush into a soft, wet, shapeless mass: bales of waste paper were chopped, shredded, and pulped
  • withdraw (a publication) from the market and recycle the paper: the publisher had the right to pulp all unsold copies

Phrases

beat (or smash) someone to a pulp

beat someone severely.

Derivatives

pulper

noun

Origin:

late Middle English (denoting the soft fleshy part of fruit): from Latin pulpa. The verb dates from the mid 17th century