Wallpaper

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A decorative material applied to interior walls, typically featuring patterns or colors, used to enhance the aesthetic appearance of a room
2. A type of decorative covering designed for walls, often made from paper or vinyl, which adds visual interest and style to interior spaces
3. This material, usually patterned or colored, is adhered to walls to improve the overall ambiance and decor of a room

Etymology: Wallpaper is one of the plainest compounds in English: "wall" plus "paper," with no hidden story behind the pairing. The interesting part is what the paper was for. Sheets of paper were pasted directly onto plaster walls as a cheap substitute for woven hangings or painted decoration, so the material took its name from the surface it covered and the paper it was made of. The point of the compound is that the two halves describe a single practical act: paper applied to a wall. Early examples were often printed or hand-painted sheets, and the term kept that literal sense for a long time before it came to mean any decorative covering for interior walls, whatever it is made of today.

Synonyms: wall covering, decorative paper