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Glite Dictionary
order paper

order paper

7.6
A printed list of items to be discussed in a parliament or assembly that day
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : orden del día
  • Members of the assembly were given a copy of the order paper before the session started.

Examples

  • If a question intended to obtain information from the Ministry involves a lengthy, detailed, or technical response, a written question must be placed on the Order Paper.

    Blog text (27)

  • The full motion is printed, as you will all see on the order paper and I call Elia Yousaf to move the motion.

  • Order I should inform the House that the Bill on today's Order Paper is not being presented.

  • In 2009, there was an Order Paper placed by Hon Oliphant, and it was answered on October 5th.

    Blog text (27)

  • The agenda for today's meeting includes several important items on the order paper.

  • In preparation for the debate, the order paper was distributed to all participants.

Synonyms

agenda
vsorder paper
∞ 2.3

A list of things to talk about or do at a meeting

is narrower and is a formal printed list for legislative business only
order of business
vsorder paper
35 3.5

A list of items to deal with in a meeting

is focused on one day's formal printed list for assemblies
order of the day
vsorder paper
1 4.9

A list of things a meeting will discuss that day

is a printed list used specifically in legislative sessions
order book
vsorder paper
  • Formal
4.1

A list of activities planned for a meeting that shows their order

is the specific printed item for legislative topics on that day

Surface Forms

order paper singular
order papers plural

Morphology

order + paper

The compound gives partial clues: 'order' can mean a sequence or items to be dealt with (order of business) and 'paper' is a printed document, so a learner could plausibly infer it is a document listing business. However, the specific parliamentary/legislative sense is domain‑specific and not completely predictable from the constituents for a B1 learner without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Order paper comes from the simple idea of a paper that shows the order of items to be discussed. That's why it means the printed list of topics for a meeting or a day in parliament.