pulp

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pulp / pəlp/ • n. a soft, wet, shapeless mass of material: boiling with soda will reduce your peas to pulp. ∎  the soft fleshy part of a fruit. ∎  a soft wet mass of fibers derived from rags or wood, used in papermaking. ∎  vascular tissue filling the interior cavity and root canals of a tooth. ∎  Mining pulverized ore mixed with water. ∎  [usu. as adj.] fig. popular or sensational writing that is generally regarded as being of poor quality: the story is a mix of pulp fiction and Greek tragedy.• v. [tr.] crush into a soft, shapeless mass. ∎  withdraw (a publication) from the market and recycle the paper.PHRASES: beat (or smash) someone to a pulp beat someone severely.DERIVATIVES: pulp·er n.pulp·i·ness n.pulp·y adj.

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