What does pulp mean?
Pulp names the soft, moist, fibrous material left after fruit, vegetables, plants, or wood are crushed or processed. In ordinary household contexts, the term often refers to the juicy inner flesh of a fruit, as in orange pulp, or to a blended mass made from fruit or vegetables. In publishing and cultural criticism, pulp describes writing, films, or other creative work regarded as lurid, cheaply produced, or intellectually trivial; “pulp fiction” is a familiar example. The related verb, to pulp, means to crush something until it becomes a soft or liquid mass, often as part of a larger process. Although its everyday meaning is concrete and practical, pulp has developed a more critical, evaluative sense in the language of literature and popular culture, where it can imply both mass appeal and artistic weakness.
The soft, moist, fibrous material remaining from fruit, vegetables, plants, or wood after crushing or processing; also, creative work regarded as of low literary or artistic quality.
"The factory uses wood pulp to make paper."
The literary sense is generally disparaging and often used with fiction, magazines, or other media.
To crush something into a soft, moist mass or pulp.
"The machine pulps the fruit before extracting the juice."
Usually transitive and used in processing contexts involving fruit, vegetables, plants, or similar material.
Usually a mass noun, especially for processed fruit or plant material. The plural is used when referring to separate portions or pieces of pulp.
"The pulps were separated from the seeds before the juice was made."
From the Latin word for flesh, pulp went from the soft inner part of fruit to a surprisingly sharp description of low-quality writing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pulp come from?
The word comes through French pulpe from Latin pulpa, an ancient term associated with the flesh or soft interior part of the body and, later, the fleshy part of fruit. The spelling with a final p reflects the French borrowing rather than the Latin form. Related forms in languages such as Spanish pulpa and Italian polpa reflect the same Latin source. The English noun was initially associated with softened material derived from fruit or the body, while the literary sense developed later by analogy with writing that was regarded as cheaply produced or of low quality.
Related word forms
How pulp is actually used
In its literary sense, pulp is usually dismissive and can sound somewhat old-fashioned, though it remains common in discussions of popular fiction and genre media. As a noun, it is commonly treated as a mass noun; the plural is used mainly for separate pieces or quantities of pulp.
Easily confused with pulp
Pulp is the soft material itself, while pulpy is an adjective describing something that is soft, juicy, or full of pulp.