Meanings of the Spanish Word Papel

Meanings of the Spanish Word Papel The Spanish word papel is a cognate of the English word paper and often has the same meaning. Papel also has an important and frequently used meaning not associated with the English word, that of a role, such as in a play or job. Papel With Meanings Related to Paper When referring to paper, papel can refer to paper in general or to a single sheet or piece, although hoja de papel can also refer to a sheet: Una bola de papel puede ser un buen juguete para tu gato. (A wad of paper can be a good toy for your cat.)Las dimensiones de un papel A4 son 297 mm x 210 mm. (The dimensions of an A4 sheet of paper are 297 millimeters by 210 millimeters.)Aunque de inicio no lo creas, una hoja de papel simple puede soportar un peso significativo. (Although at first you may not believe it, a single sheet of paper can support a significant weight.)El papel de arroz se usa en la cocina asitica. (Rice paper is used in Asian cooking.)El papel se ha convertido en uno de los productos emblemà ©ticos de nuestra cultura. (Paper has become one of the products characteristic of our culture.)Ayer yo necesitaba un papel para anotar algo. (Yesterday I needed a sheet of paper in order to write something down.) Papel in singular or plural can refer to documents of various kinds: No necesito un papel para confirmar que estamos juntos. (I dont need a document to prove that were together.)Me dijeron que necesito firmar algà ºn papel de prà ©stamo. (They told me I need to sign some loan document.)Si no tiene papeles de estadà ­a legal y es arrestado, tiene derecho a guardar silencio y pedir un abogado. (If you dont have residence documents and are arrested, you have the right to remain silent and ask for a lawyer.) Papel Referring to Roles Papel frequently refers to an acting role: La modelo venezolana es conocida por su papel de Rosita. (The Venezuelan model is known for her role as Rosita.)Hollywood sà ³lo tiene un papel para los actores rabes. (Hollywood has only one role for Arab actors.)Alejandro tenà ­a un papel pequeà ±o en una escena en la pelà ­cula. (Alejandro had a small role in one scene in the film.) More broadly, papel can refer to almost any kind of role, for both people and things: La universidad tiene un papel importante porque forma valores. (The university has an important role because it forms values.)La iglesia tuvo un papel crucial en la Europa medieval. The church had a crucial role in medieval Europe.Los cientà ­ficos desempeà ±arà ­an un papel central en este proceso de reforma ambiental. Scientists played a central role in this process of environmental reform.La Cmara siempre entendià ³ que el presidente tiene un rol importante en estos asuntos. (The House always understood that the president has an important role in these matters.) Papel in Phrases Among the phrases and idioms that use the word papel are these: asumir el papel - to assume the rolehacer el papel, interpretar el papel - to play the rolepapel blanco, papel en blanco - blank sheet (can be used figuratively)papel cuchà © - glossy paperpapel de aluminio, papel de estaà ±o, papel de plata - aluminum foil (the latter two literally refer to tin and silver foil but are nevertheless sometimes used to refer to aluminum foil)papel de embalar - wrapping paper (such as for a gift)papel higià ©nico - toilet paper, bath tissuepapel moneda - paper moneypapel perià ³dico - newsprintpapel picado  - a type of decorative perforated paper popular in Mexico as a decorationpapel pintado - wallpaperperder los papeles - to lose self-controlsobre el papel - in theory, on papertomar un papel - to take a roletrozo de papel - piece of paper Etymology of Papel Like the English word paper, papel comes from the Latin papyrus, which came from the Greek papyros, referring to a plant from which paper was once made. The meaning of papel as a role comes from the roll of paper that actors roles once were written on. (Despite the different spelling, the English role also comes from that usage.) The Spanish rol is often used synonymously for that meaning. Key Takeaways Papel is often synonymous with the English paper and can be used for different kinds of paper and documents.Papel also can refer to various kinds roles played by people or objects.

How Mother Nature Became the Inspiration Behind Velcro

How Mother Nature Became the Inspiration Behind Velcro Before the middle of 20th century, people lived in a Velcro-less world where zippers were standard and shoes had to be laced. All that changed though on one lovely summer day in 1941 when an amateur mountaineer and inventor named  George de Mestral  decided to take his dog for a nature hike. De Mestral and his faithful companion both returned home covered with burrs, the plant seed-sacs that clung to animal fur as a way to spread to fertile new planting grounds. He noticed his dog was covered in the stuff. De Mestral was a Swiss engineer who was naturally curious so he took a sample of the many burrs stuck to his pants and placed them under his microscope to see how the properties of the burdock plant allowed it stick to certain surfaces. Perhaps, he thought, they can be used for something useful. Upon closer examination, it was the small hooks that enabled the seed-bearing burr to cling so stubbornly to the tiny loops in the fabric of his pants. It as during this eureka moment that  De Mestral smiled and thought something along the lines of I will design a unique, two-sided fastener, one side with stiff hooks like the burrs and the other side with soft loops like the fabric of my pants. I will call my invention velcro a combination of the word velour and crochet. It will rival the  zipper  in its ability to fasten. De Mestrals idea was met with resistance and even laughter, but the inventor was undeterred. He worked with a weaver from a textile plant in France to perfect a fastener by experimenting with materials that would hook and loop in a similar manner. Through trial and error, he realized that nylon when sewn under infrared light formed tough hooks for the burr side of the fastener. The discovery led to a completed design that he patented in 1955. He would eventually form Velcro Industries to manufacture and distribute his invention. In the 1960s, Velcro fasteners made its way to outer space as Apollo astronauts wore them to keep items like pens and equipment from floating away while in zero-gravity. In time, the product became kind of a household name as companies like Puma used them in shoes to replace laces. Shoe makers Adidas and Reebok would soon follow. During de Mastral’s lifetime, his company sold an average of over 60 million yards of Velcro per year. Not bad for an invention inspired by mother nature. Today you can’t technically buy velcro because the name is the registered trademark for the Velcro Industries product, but you can have all the velcro brand hook and loop fasteners you need. This distinction was done on purpose and illustrates a problem inventors often face. Many words used frequently in everyday language were once trademarks, but eventually become generic terms. Well-known examples include  escalator, thermos, cellophane and nylon. The problem is that once trademarked names becomes commonplace enough, the U.S. Courts can deny exclusive rights to the trademark.