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pulp

 - 6 dictionary results

pulp

[puhlp]
–noun
1. the soft, juicy, edible part of a fruit.
2. the pith of the stem of a plant.
3. a soft or fleshy part of an animal body.
4. Also called dental pulp. the inner substance of the tooth, containing arteries, veins, and lymphatic and nerve tissue that communicate with their respective vascular, lymph, and nerve systems.
5. any soft, moist, slightly cohering mass, as that into which linen, wood, etc., are converted in the making of paper.
6. a magazine or book printed on rough, low-quality paper made of wood pulp or rags, and usually containing sensational and lurid stories, articles, etc. Compare slick 1 (def. 9).
7. Mining.
a. ore pulverized and mixed with water.
b. dry crushed ore.
–verb (used with object)
8. to reduce to pulp.
9. to reduce (printed papers, books, etc.) to pulp for use in making new paper.
10. to remove the pulp from.
–verb (used without object)
11. to become reduced to pulp.

Origin:
1555–65; earlier pulpe < L pulpa flesh, pulp of fruit


pulper, noun
pulpless, adjective
pulplike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pulp
pulp   (pŭlp)   
n.  
  1. A soft moist shapeless mass of matter.

    1. The soft moist part of fruit.

    2. Plant matter remaining after a process, such as the extraction of juice by pressure, has been completed.

  2. The soft pith forming the contents of the stem of a plant.

  3. A mixture of cellulose material, such as wood, paper, and rags, ground up and moistened to make paper.

  4. The soft tissue forming the inner structure of a tooth and containing nerves and blood vessels.

  5. A mixture of crushed ore and water.

  6. A publication, such as a magazine or book, containing lurid subject matter.

v.   pulped, pulp·ing, pulps

v.   tr.
  1. To reduce to pulp. See Synonyms at crush.

  2. To remove the pulp from.

v.   intr.
To be reduced to a pulpy consistency.

[Middle English, from Latin pulpa, fleshy parts of the body, fruit pulp.]
pulp'i·ness n., pulp'ous (pŭl'pəs), pulp'y adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

pulp

The soft tissue, containing blood vessels and nerves, that makes up the interior of the tooth.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pulp 
1563, from L. pulpa "animal or plant pulp, pith of wood." The adjective meaning "sensational" is from pulp magazine (1931), so called from pulp in sense of "the type of rough paper used in cheaply made magazines and books" (1727).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pulp
Pronunciation: 'p&lp
Function: noun
: a mass of soft tissue: as a : DENTAL PULP b : the characteristic somewhat spongy tissue of the spleen c : the fleshy portionof the fingertip
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

pulp (pŭlp)
n.

  1. A soft, moist, shapeless mass of matter.

  2. Dental pulp.

  3. The soft, moist part of fruit.


pulp'ous (pŭl'pəs) or pulp'y adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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