Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An unbound printed work, usually with a paper cover.
- n. A short essay or treatise, usually on a current topic, published without a binding.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A manuscript consisting of one sheet or of a few sheets of paper or parchment stitched (or otherwise fastened) together.
- n. A printed work consisting of a few sheets of paper stitched together, but not bound; now, in a restricted technical sense, eight or more pages of printed matter (not exceeding five sheets) stitched or sewed, with or without a thin paper wrapper or cover.
- n. In the sixteenth century, in England, a fascicle comprising a few printed sheets stitched together, containing news-ballads and short poems on popular subjects: also known as a news-book, which developed later into the newspaper.
- n. A short treatise or essay, generally controversial, especially one on some subject of temporary interest which excites public attention at the time of its appearance; a writing intended to publish one's views on a particular question, or to attack the views of another.
- To write a pamphlet or pamphlets.
Wiktionary
- n. A small booklet of printed informational matter, often unbound, having only a paper cover.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A writing; a book.
- n. A small book consisting of a few sheets of printed paper, stitched together, often with a paper cover, but not bound; a short essay or written discussion, usually on a subject of current interest.
- v. To write a pamphlet or pamphlets.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a small book usually having a paper cover
- n. a brief treatise on a subject of interest; published in the form of a booklet
Etymologies
- Middle English pamflet, from Medieval Latin pamfletus, from Pamphiletus, diminutive of Pamphilus, amatory Latin poem of the 12th century, from Greek pamphilos, beloved by all : pan-, pan- + philos, beloved.
Examples
“I think the pamphlet is the best way to put out comics.”
“Steve describes his journey from birthright Quakerism to the zendo in very personal terms, but most of the pamphlet is a deep meditation on Quakerism and the wisdom of early Friends.”
“Preceding the publication of this pamphlet is a report of investigations made by Ralph Bunche and Gunnar Myrdal in 1940.”
“Much of the pamphlet is an attack on the notion of internationalism, and is backed up by such remarks as: No British statesman should feel himself authorized to spend British blood for the promotion of something superior to British interests.”
“Beneath the desk is my small collection of PULP and other really old manga published in pamphlet-comic format.”
“At Precocious Curmudgeon, David Welsh takes a look at King City in pamphlet form.”
“Genius: This small, sixteen-page pamphlet is produced to put inside the postage-paid, business-reply envelopes that come with junk mail offers.”
“Lampreys don't charm most people," begins a pamphlet from the Minnesota Sea Grant.”
“This four-page pamphlet is designed to secure donations from the American public to help feed and clothe French and Belgian prisoners of war in Germany.”
“NOTES: Labor historian Philip Foner says "The Dream of Debs" predicted the San Francisco general strike of 1934, that it is a small classic of working class propaganda and that it was reprinted in pamphlet form and had a huge circulation in labor circles.”
“. . . in the stiff, dead fingers, the petition of his slaves who toiled in Hell's Bottom.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pamphlet’.
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Letterrorists
A bunch of -let words, emphasis on the diminutive. Feel free to neologize.
booklet, flatlet, haslet, nutlet, platelet, streamlet, varlet, aglet, gablet, leaflet, piglet, ringlet and 504 more...
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•Public List: Pommelions and Papermills
Started on pommelion--a place for all those words that feature P, then M, then L inside them. Somewhere.
pommelion, papermill, pimple, pemoline, pall mall, pell-mell, peppermill, paleomammalogy, philomelian, pummel, pimpernel, pimpmobile and 32 more...
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Reading Materials
Names of printed materials meant to be read - for worship, pleasure, information, recitation; out of curiosity, or, in the case of adverts, to get our attention and sway our spending choices.
lectionary, epistolary, reading-book, novel, Bildungsroman, short story, billboard, advertisement, Sunday comics, obituaries, book of hours, primer and 66 more...
chained_bear Well, in that case, glad to be of service. :) Sep 17, 2009
pterodactyl Me too. :-) Sep 17, 2009
reesetee I love it when c_b dorks out on history. :-) Sep 16, 2009
hernesheir I like the mouth-feel of this word too. It for some reason reminds me a delicious dainty one might find in a European confectionery... Saying the word sends me to another continent, and calls up sights and smells of the lovely desserts that unhurried travel brings... Sep 16, 2009
chained_bear I guess this deserves a dorkout tag now.... sorry... Sep 16, 2009
chained_bear One of the most interesting things about Thomas Paine is that he's been appropriated by either extreme of the political spectrum over the years. A hero during the Revolutionary War (in fact it's not really an exaggeration to say he saved the Continental army in 1776-7), afterwards he was an embarrassment to Americans for years, when people wanted the country to be seen as reasonable rather than radical. But the man was an unabashed revolutionary in so many senses of the word, bordering on being an anarchist (by the standards of the 18th century, which is to say: not what we think of as an anarchist).
And how the pendulum swings! Now he's been 'adopted' in recent years by right-wingers seeking to shore up their own version of what the Founders believed. And as John points out, far too often they don't look at the man's corpus of writings, or his life, but pull what they find relevant and ignore the rest.
Occasionally this sort of thing makes me glad I flail against tide of history illiteracy—and I do find the concept of a Mythic America fascinating: it's what these people claiming Paine are responding to rather than any actual history—but mostly it just makes me so tired.
John—it's interesting you mention that book. Whenever I see it on bookstore shelves I turn it face down.
I haven't seen the plaque, but next trip to NYC I'm getting a photo of it. Sep 16, 2009
john Right on c_b, I agree on all accounts--I like the sound and feel of this word, and I love its association with direct democracy and Paine in particular.
A certain right-wing demagogue has tarnished the name of one of Paine's best-known pamphlets, Common Sense by appropriating it as the title of one of his own books, which is annoying, but also amusing. He must not have read The Age of Reason, a full-throated attack on organized religion and not the kind of thing most American conservatives want to be associated with.
Thomas Paine died in New York City, in the West Village, around the corner from where I used to live—there's a plaque on the building in which he died. Sep 16, 2009
chained_bear I missed this conversation 7 mos. ago, apparently... I like that it's got a -mphl- in it. It's a great word, always reminds me of Thomas Paine (go! go!), and thanks, rolig, for the etymological lesson. I had no idea. :) Sep 16, 2009
dontcry I now have a whole new appreciation for the word. Thanks rolig! As a producer of pamphlets, brochures, fliers, & what-have-you, for many years now, I'm happy to learn of its romantic side! Sep 16, 2009
reesetee Well, I did say "in a way." :-) Feb 3, 2009
rolig Not really, ReeseTee. All he/she indicates in the list description is a reluctance to utter these words. There is no reflection on why the lister/tagger finds these words, and pamphlet in particular, ugly and unutterable. Is this the result of some childhood trauma? A bad experience with door-to-door proselytizers? Is it the rare appearance of the sequence -mphl-? Or the sound /-mfl-/? Is it the perhaps unexpected realization that the two p's are pronounced so differently? I have no problem with someone finding this or any other word "ugly" and even tagging it accordingly (and not only "ugly" but also "ugliest"!), but it would be good if they could provide some explanation for such strong antipathy, or at least indicate their own bewilderment over it, such as by saying, "I don't know why, but I just hate this word!" That might precipitate a discussion that could well prove profitable for the tagger him-/herself. Feb 3, 2009
reesetee I like the word. Anyway, I think onegoodbee does explain, in a way, on his/her "Ugliest Words Ever" list.
No accounting for taste. :-) Feb 3, 2009
bilby ugly has been used 32 times by onegoodbee, 35 times total.
ugliesthas been used 32 times by onegoodbee, 32 times total. Feb 3, 2009
rolig Why do people find this word "ugly"? I think that if you are going to express such a strong opinion through a tag ("ugliest", "ugly"), you should at least explain why you think it deserves such a label.
This word, by the way, comes into English from the name Pamphilet, an adaptation of the name of a popular love poem, written in Latin, from the 12th century, Pamphilus, seu de Amore ("Pamphilus, or, On Love"), which circulated through Europe as a small booklet, so that eventually any small booklet became known as a pamphlet. The name Pamphilus, a compound of the Greek elements pan- and -phil, means "loved by all". Apparently the word he gave his name to isn't. Feb 2, 2009