Dictionary Definition
onionskin n : a thin strong light-weight
translucent paper used especially for making carbon copies [syn:
flimsy]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
- A thin, strong, light, translucent paper; used especially for making carbon copies
Extensive Definition
Onionskin or onion skin is a thin, light-weight,
strong, often translucent paper. It was usually used with
carbon
paper for typing duplicates in a typewriter, for permanent
records where low bulk was important, or for airmail
correspondence.http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/don/dt/dt2375.html
It typically has a 9 pound basis weight, and may be white or canary
colored.
In the typewriter era, onion skin often had a
deeply-textured "cockle" finish which allowed for easier erasure of
typing mistakes, but other glazed and unglazed finishes were also
available then and may be more common today.http://parenthetically.blogspot.com/2006/10/minor-casualties-of-21st-century.html