Pamphlet

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpæmflɪt/

Definitions

1. A small printed booklet containing information or arguments about a single subject, typically distributed for free
2. A short printed publication, usually unbound, containing information or arguments about a single subject
3. A concise printed publication, often folded or stapled, that provides detailed information or persuasive content focused on a specific topic

Etymology: The word traces back to a single poem. "Pamphilus, seu de amore" ("Pamphilus, or On Love") was a 12th-century Latin love poem that circulated widely in manuscript. Its hero was called Pamphilus, and readers began calling the poem's little copies "Pamphilet," a diminutive built with the French suffix "-et." The name then spread to short written texts in general, so a word for one popular love poem became the everyday term for any slim, unbound printed piece. The name itself is Greek. "Pámphilos" meant "beloved by all," combining "pan-" ("all") with "phílos" ("beloved, dear"). Late Middle English took the word in the form "pamflet" and used it for any short written text, small book, or tract, not only the love poem. Middle French and Old French had a habit of forming such shorthands by adding "-et" to an author or subject's name. Aesop's fables became "Esopet," and Cato's moral couplets became "Catonet," so "Pamphilet" fits a familiar pattern of naming a book after a figure in it.

Synonyms: brochure, leaflet, booklet, flyer, circular