Agency Dictionary
paperweight
nounPronunciation: /ˈpeɪ.pər.weɪt/
In Portuguese: peso de papel
Writing & NarrativeWhat does “paperweight” mean?
A small, heavy object placed on loose sheets of paper to prevent them from scattering or blowing away.
Etymology
An English compound formed from paper and weight. The name describes the object's function directly: a small heavy object placed on loose sheets of paper to prevent them from scattering. The compound has also extended to figurative uses, naming anything that sits on a desk ornamentally or that serves more as decoration than utility.
Usage note
Beyond its practical function, the paperweight became a collectible art object, with glass paperweights containing embedded millefiori or decorative elements being especially prized from the nineteenth century onward.
Word family
- paper
- weight
- paperwork
- heavyweight
Rhymes with
- late
- gate
- state
- plate
- straight
Usage examples
A paperweight is a tool that doesn't seem to have much utility nowadays considering that we are typing words on keyboards rather than drawing them on paper.
Writing.1 - The Titanic Theory The primary purpose of a paperweight is to prevent papers from being scattered or blown away by the wind or accidental disturbances.
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
- Rebirthnoun
- A new beginning after a period of decline or destruction, used in mythology to describe the cyclical return to life after death. In Archetype.0, rebirth is the defining characteristic of both the Bennu and the Phoenix.
- Discursiveadjective
- Proceeding by reasoned argument or sequential exposition rather than by immediate visual intuition.
- quotationnoun
- A group of words taken verbatim from a published text or speech and repeated by another author.
- verbatimadjective
- In exactly the same words as the original, word for word. Said of a quotation or a transcription that changes nothing.
- rhetoricnoun
- The art of effective and persuasive speaking or writing, especially through strategic linguistic devices.
- literary devicenoun
- A technique that a writer uses to produce a particular effect or to convey meaning, such as metaphor, irony, repetition, quotation or aphorism.
- Accuracynoun
- The degree of precision, correctness, and exactitude with which a message or action reaches its intended mark.
- Acronymnoun
- A word formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. It simplifies complex institutional designations into recognizable units.
Also from these editions: terms
- Antithesisnoun
- A person, thing, or concept that represents the direct or exact opposite of another.
- omissionnoun
- The intentional or accidental act of leaving something out or excluding details from a statement or text.
- Treatisenoun
- A formal, systematic, and comprehensive written work dealing methodically with the principles and evidence of a particular philosophical, scientific, or technical subject.
- Maximnoun
- A concise statement expressing a fundamental principle, general truth, or practical rule of conduct.
- aestheticsnoun
- A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, artistic taste, and style.
- anesthetizedadjective
- Deprived of physical sensation or feeling, often used figuratively to describe dullness or emotional apathy.
- Authenticitynoun
- The quality of being real, genuine, and true to one's own character or stated origins.
- Catharticadjective
- Providing psychological relief through the open expression and release of strong or repressed emotions.
- helmnoun
- The wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered. Figuratively, the position of control or leadership.
- numbnessnoun
- The state of being unable to feel or react, in the body or, figuratively, in the mind and the will.
- proverbnoun
- A short, pithy saying in frequent and widespread use that expresses a perceived truth or piece of practical advice.
- salutationsnoun
- Formal gestures, greetings, or opening words of courteous address delivered upon meeting someone or beginning a discourse.
Also from these editions: concepts
- The Titanic TheoryThe Titanic Theory is a literary manifesto and philosophical framework for writers navigating an automated, post-literary era. It posits that writers must act as…
- CatharsisCatharsis is the psychological and emotional release experienced by individuals when engaging deeply with intense artistic or dramatic narratives. First formulated…
- Technical ImageA technical image is a visual representation produced through scientific or mechanical apparatuses such as photography, cinema, and digital screens. It reorganizes human…
- The Iceberg TheoryThe Iceberg Theory is a literary technique coined by Ernest Hemingway asserting that the deeper meaning of a story should not be visible on the surface. By deliberately…
- Post-Literary EraA post-literary era is a cultural epoch where linear alphabetic reading ceases to be the dominant medium for storing, transmitting, and processing human knowledge. It is…
- Show, Don't TellShow, don't tell is a classic creative writing maxim advising authors to convey characters, emotions, and settings through sensory action rather than direct exposition…
- Does Writing Have a Future?Does Writing Have a Future? is a book by Vilém Flusser. In Writing.1, the edition cites it briefly: Flusser bravely argued that writing does not have a future. Issue.16…
- RMS TitanicThe RMS Titanic is the ocean liner that was said to be unsinkable and sank after hitting an iceberg. In the Agency editorial it is the central allegory of the Titanic…
- Existential WritingExistential writing is the philosophical act of writing primarily as a commitment to truth, self-discovery, and human meaning rather than commercial acclaim. It views the…
- Vilém FlusserVilém Flusser is the thinker the Agency editorial cites for arguing that writing does not have a future. Writing.1 ties his name to the book Does Writing have a Future?…
- Baltasar GraciánBaltasar Gracián was a Spanish Jesuit writer of the 17th century, author of The Art of Worldly Wisdom, a collection of maxims. Writing.1 quotes him once, in a quotation…