Tearsheet

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A page torn out of a magazine or newspaper and kept as proof that an advertisement or article was published
2. A printed page cut from a publication and supplied to a client or advertiser to show that their material ran
3. The copy of a published page, often an advertisement, that is removed from a periodical as evidence of its appearance

Etymology: A tearsheet is a page cut out of a newspaper or magazine to serve as proof that an advertisement or article actually ran. The word is a plain compound: "tear", in the sense of pulling or ripping something away, joined to "sheet", a single leaf of paper. The name describes the practice literally, since the page is torn from the publication and handed over as evidence. The compound is transparent, so there is little more to unpack. Its value lies in how neatly it names a physical object that the publishing trade needed a label for, with each part doing exactly the work its meaning suggests.

Synonyms: clipping, cutting