means A thin, flat material made from pressed plant fibers, used for writing, printing, wrapping, and countless other purposes.

from Straight from the plant that started it all: "paper" comes from Latin papyrus, which the Romans borrowed from Greek papyros, the tall reed of the Nile that Egyptians sliced, layered, and pounded into writing sheets. The Greek word itself may trace back to an Egyptian source, though the exact original is lost to time. The funny twist: true paper — made from pulped fibers — was a much later Chinese invention, but it inherited the name of the older reed it eventually replaced across the world.