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paperweight

paperweight

21 3.0
A small heavy object that holds papers down on a desk
  • noun
  • /ˈpeɪpərˌweɪt/
translation icon : pisapapeles
  • I bought a beautiful glass paperweight to hold down my important documents on the desk.
  • glass paperweight
  • crystal paperweight
  • a heavy paperweight

So osmium would make the world's best paperweight.

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Examples

  • I remember these and a crystal paperweight that made a snowstorm when you shook it.

  • I had earlier pocketed a nifty jade paperweight sent by an obscure relative of Tom's to keep as a souvenir.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Do you see that glass paperweight over there?

  • And I got you this paperweight that magnifies your baby picture.

  • Then she shuffled the papers together and placed them on a square paperweight, which had been under her elbow.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Lucy placed her frog paperweight carefully on the pages and stalked off to the kitchen.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Ellen's father brought her a glass paperweight shaped like a kangaroo and a T-shirt that said SYDNEY.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Or maybe we could use it as a paperweight for those reports of yours that must have tumbled from my desk and lodged themselves in obscure crevices.

  • Lucy placed her paperweight carefully on the pages to keep them from scattering in the breeze.

  • The antique paperweight I found at the market prevents my papers from blowing away during the windy days.

How Heavy

doorstop
9 2.3
bookend
11 2.7
paperweight
21 3.0
paper clip
18 1.0

Surface Forms

paperweight singular
paperweights plural

Morphology

paperweight = paper + weight (transparent) = paper + weight

Direct compound of 'paper' + 'weight' meaning an object heavy enough to hold papers down; learners can derive this from the parts.

Etymology

The word paperweight is simply the two words paper and weight, literally a 'weight' for 'paper'. So, it means a small heavy object used to keep papers from blowing away.