English Reference

Word

kraft

US/ˈkɹæft/

UK/kɹˈɑːft/

Definition

n. a strong, smooth brown paper used for wrapping things or making bags.

n. a strong, usually brown paper produced from wood pulp by a chemical process. Uncountable in its material sense.

Examples

“The store packs your groceries in a brown kraft bag.”

“The artist chose heavy kraft paper for the sketches because of its textured surface and durability.”

“Industrial manufacturers prefer kraft packaging for international shipping due to its high tensile strength and resistance to tearing under significant mechanical stress.”

Examples

simple

“The store packs your groceries in a brown kraft bag.”

contextual

“The artist chose heavy kraft paper for the sketches because of its textured surface and durability.”

complex

“Industrial manufacturers prefer kraft packaging for international shipping due to its high tensile strength and resistance to tearing under significant mechanical stress.”

Usage

Often used as a compound noun: 'kraft paper'.

Teaching tip

While the word comes from German, in English it is almost exclusively used in the context of paper and packaging.

Etymology

From German, Jewish, Swedish and Danish surname, from the noun Kraft (“strength, power”). Compare Croft and Craft.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Synonyms

brown paperwrapping paper

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Frequent
Updated
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Technical

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English Reference