pulp

[ puhlp ]
See synonyms for pulp on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the soft, juicy, edible part of a fruit.

  2. the pith of the stem of a plant.

  1. a soft or fleshy part of an animal body.

  2. 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.

  3. any soft, moist, slightly cohering mass, as that into which linen, wood, etc., are converted in the making of paper.

  4. 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 (def. 9).

  5. Mining.

    • ore pulverized and mixed with water.

    • dry crushed ore.

verb (used with object)
  1. to reduce to pulp.

  2. to reduce (printed papers, books, etc.) to pulp for use in making new paper.

  1. to remove the pulp from.

verb (used without object)
  1. to become reduced to pulp.

Origin of pulp

1
1555–65; earlier pulpe<Latin pulpa flesh, pulp of fruit

Other words from pulp

  • pulper, noun
  • pulpless, adjective
  • pulplike, adjective
  • de·pulp, verb (used with object)
  • un·pulped, adjective

Words Nearby pulp

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pulp in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pulp

pulp

/ (pʌlp) /


noun
  1. soft or fleshy plant tissue, such as the succulent part of a fleshy fruit

  2. a moist mixture of cellulose fibres, as obtained from wood, from which paper is made

    • a magazine or book containing trite or sensational material, and usually printed on cheap rough paper

    • (as modifier): a pulp novel

  1. dentistry the soft innermost part of a tooth, containing nerves and blood vessels

  2. any soft soggy mass or substance

  3. mining pulverized ore, esp when mixed with water

verb
  1. to reduce (a material or solid substance) to pulp or (of a material or solid substance) to be reduced to pulp

  2. (tr) to remove the pulp from (fruit)

Origin of pulp

1
C16: from Latin pulpa

Derived forms of pulp

  • pulper, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for pulp

pulp

[ pŭlp ]


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

  2. The soft moist part of a fruit, especially a drupe or pome.

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

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for pulp

pulp

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.