Paperbark

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tree of the myrtle family whose thin, papery bark peels off in layers ; the loose, fibrous outer bark that such trees shed in sheets
2. An Australian tree with bark that flakes away in thin strips ; the flaky, papery outer covering that peels from these trees in layers
3. A melaleuca or related tree with spongy, peeling bark ; the thin, fibrous skin that sheds from the trunk in papery sheets

Etymology: Paperbark is one of the plainest compounds in English: "paper" joined to "bark," describing trees whose bark peels off in thin, papery layers. The name describes what the tree looks like rather than borrowing from another language, so the word's history is simply the two English parts put together. The most useful thing to know is what the name is pointing at. Many trees in the group nicknamed paperbarks, such as the melaleucas of Australia, shed their outer bark in sheets that look like sheets of paper, and some are used for the same purposes as paper. The "paper" element refers to the thin, layered texture, not to any manufacturing use.