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pamphlet

UK/ˈpæmflɪt/US/ˈpæmflɪt/
nounB2+Common in everyday speech and writing · #7,750 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: pamphlets

A pamphlet is a thin booklet arguing a case or giving information. A political pamphlet, hand out pamphlets, a pamphlet on the reforms.

It is cheap and quick to print, which made it the argument's weapon of choice for four centuries. A leaflet is shorter and merely informs, while a pamphlet sets out to persuade.

French School · Public domain

Definitions of pamphlet

  1. 1nounpamphletA thin booklet arguing a case or giving information.B2+

    “He printed a pamphlet attacking the enclosure of the common.”

pamphlet is a booklet.

Where it comes from

Middle English pamflet comes from Pamphilus, a popular short Latin love poem of the twelfth century that circulated unbound.

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd

  2. Ancient Greek

    Πάμφιλος

  3. Latin

    Pamphilus

  4. Middle French

    Pamphilet

  5. Middle English

    pamflet

  6. English, today

    pamphlet

Built from

  • pamphilet · Middle English — short written text; small book; tract
  • paunflettus · Latin — short written text
  • φῐ́λος · Ancient Greek — beloved, dear
  • Isopet · Old French — Aesop’s Fables

The noun is derived from Late Middle English pamflet, pamphilet (“short written text; small book; tract”)pamfelet, pamfilet, panflet, pampelet, pamphilett, pamplet, pamplett, paunflet, paunflete, from Middle French Pamphilet (compare Latin - (Anglo-Latin) pamfletus, panfletus, paunflettus (“short written text”), Old French Panfilès), a popular shorthand for the 12th-century Latin love poem Pamphilus, seu de amore (Pamphilus, or On Love): the widely circulated pamphlets then gave this name to the whole phenomenon. Pamphilet is derived from Latin Pamphilus, the name of a protagonist of the poem + Middle French -et; while Pamphilus is from Ancient Greek Πάμφιλος literally “beloved by all”, from παν- (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- (“to protect; to shepherd”)) + φῐ́λος (“beloved, dear”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰil- (“decent; friendly; good; harmonious”)). For the Middle French and Old French use of the suffix -et to form shorthands for the titles of works, compare Middle French Avionet (“the fables of Avianus”) from Avianus; Middle French Catonet, Old French Chatonnet, Chatonez (“the Distichs of Cato”) from Caton (they were formerly believed to be by Cato); and Old French Esopet, Isopet (“Aesop’s Fables”) from Ésope (Aesop). The verb is derived from the noun.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

pamphlet in the wild

  • A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding).

    Pamphlet

  • The pamphlet was first published in 1965, with its 11th and most recent edition released in 2026.

    For the Strength of Youth (pamphlet)

  • The pamphlet was to be put "in the hands of every young person in each ward".

    For the Strength of Youth (pamphlet)

  • In this pamphlet, dated December 15, 1774, Hamilton defended the actions of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia against the accusations of author A.W.

    A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress

  • Hamilton then responded with another pamphlet, The Farmer Refuted, on February 23, 1775.

    A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.