Tabloid
/ˈtæb.lɔɪd/noun
A newspaper or magazine format with compact pages, often associated with sensational reporting.
Did you know?Tabloid was coined in the late 19th century from a trademark for compressed pills, and the newspaper sense came from the idea of a publication as a tightly packed, condensed form.
Etymological Timeline
Late 19th Century
English
tabloid
“Originally a trademark for a compressed tablet or pill; later used figuratively for condensed forms.”
Late 19th Century
English
tabloid newspaper
“A smaller-format newspaper, often with condensed content.”
Late 19th Century
English
tabloid journalism
“Sensational, compact newspaper reporting.”
Latin
Latin
tabula
“A board, tablet, or writing tablet.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tebh-
“A thick plank or board; the ancestral root behind Latin tabula and related words.”
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