What does pap mean?
Pap most commonly denotes a smooth, soft food made from cooked and mashed fruit, vegetables, cereals, or pulses. It is especially associated with food prepared for babies, young children, or people who cannot tolerate firmer or more strongly flavored food. The word can also refer to the fleshy inner material of a fruit or vegetable. In literary criticism, “pap” is a derogatory term for writing that is considered trivial, derivative, or inferior. Less formally, it can mean a breast or nipple, though this sense may sound childish or vulgar. In medicine, “pap test” and “pap smear” refer to the widely used cervical-cell screening procedure. Overall, the word combines literal references to soft, pulpy matter with older figurative uses that dismiss something as unoriginal or insubstantial.
nounA soft, pulpy food made from fruit, vegetables, or grain, especially food prepared for infants or people who need a bland, easily swallowed diet. The word can also mean fruit or vegetable pulp, inferior or derivative writing, or, informally, a breast or nipple.
- A soft, smooth food made from cooked fruit, vegetables, cereals, or pulses, especially food given to infants or people with difficulty swallowing.
- The soft inner substance of a fruit or vegetable.
- Derogatory or literary writing regarded as trivial, inferior, or merely derivative.
- Informally, a breast or nipple, especially in British and North American usage.
- A cervical-cell sample or the test used to obtain and examine such a sample.
"The nurse spooned warm apple pap onto the baby's plate."
"She mixed the vegetables with rice and spooned the pap into the bowl."
"His novel was dismissed by critics as worthless pap."
"The clinic recommended that she schedule a pap smear."
The plural is rare and normally occurs when separate portions, samples, or instances of the food are being counted.
"The caterer provided separate paps for each child."
Long before “pap” became a medical test, it was a comforting food: the name traveled from a Greek word for father to a French soft paste and finally to English baby food.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pap come from?
The word entered Middle English in the form “pappe,” probably through Old French pappe, denoting a soft or mashed food. Its deeper history has been traced through Latin forms to a Greek word connected with “father.” The English food sense developed alongside meanings based on softness or pulpiness.
How pap is actually used
In its food sense, pap is most natural when discussing soft, mashed, or infant food. As a term for writing it is literary and strongly disparaging. The anatomical sense is informal and may be considered vulgar or childish, depending on context. In medical usage, “pap test” is a familiar short form of “Papanicolaou test.”
Easily confused with pap
Pap is a soft or mashed food, especially for infants, whereas pulp can refer to the soft material inside fruit or to material used in papermaking.
Pap as a cervical-cell test is named for the sample collected; the spelling is identical, but the medical term refers to the test or specimen rather than to food.