dead tree

adjective

Made of or pertaining to paper, especially as opposed to a digital alternative.

“You can't grep dead trees.”

Meanings

adjectivedead tree (not comparable)

alternative dead-tree

  1. not comparableMade of or pertaining to paper, especially as opposed to a digital alternative.

    2005, Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz, Dead tree?, alt.linux.suse, http://groups.google.com/group/alt.os.linux.suse/msg/0ad17bd29005f471?dmode=source It used to be that SuSE Linux was available in personal and professional; editions, and that the Pro edition came with additional dead tree documentation.

    4 more examples

    My question is basically do you need better on-line programs to search the docs ..., or actually different dead-tree style.

    1986 April 15, Barry Shein, “Re: job control”, in net.unix-wizards (Usenet)

    Dead tree technology doesn't saddle you with a $300 phone bill.

    1996 December 12, Michael J. Gallagher, “Re: NASA HQ buyout??????”, in sci.space.policy (Usenet)

    By the way, if you're annoyed by the bright green background (which shouldn't be a total shock to anyone who reads the dead-tree edition of Wired) ...

    1998, Shirley Duglin. Kennedy, Best bet Internet: reference and research when you don't have time to mess around, page 55

    OK, an e-book needs a reader. A dead-tree book needs paper and bulky storage space.

    2000, Justin Bacon, “Re: Science Fiction (and Fantasy) Writers Wanted”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet)
noundead tree (plural dead trees)

plural dead trees · alternative dead-tree

  1. A quantity of paper; a collection of paper such as a book or newspaper.

    You can't grep dead trees.

    4 more examples

    Mail on dead trees: Dept. of CS, Chalmers University of Technology, S-412 96 Goteborg, Sweden

    1985 Jul 23: Thomas Johnsson, DECUS public domain C compiler: where can I get it? (signature), net.lang.c, http://groups.google.com/group/net.lang.c/browse_thread/thread/711ce5d3a4eb7019/860f62c7e3c5e117?q=dead-tree+OR+dead-trees#860f62c7e3c5e117

    I wouldn't be surprised to hear of parents telling their children how we used to spend hundreds of watts to light a room, or how we drove 3000 kg vehicles to pick up a single newspaper printed on a dead tree, and so on.

    1991 October 29, Daniel Mocsny, “Re: Ecological Dependency”, in sci.environment (Usenet)

    As usual, when I checked the page, it points to a dead tree with ink available at a cost.

    1995 September 15, Mountain Man, “Re: Many worlds speculation--a complete waste of time”, in sci.physics (Usenet)

    2003 May 16: yoodaw elder{:}child, Re: kjv #1? consider, alt.christnet, http://groups.google.com/group/alt.christnet.bible/msg/425b9a41581e51a9?dmode=source come out of this wicked, evil world and her seductive, dogmatic, heretical religious systems, all of whom seek to prove their righteousness by manipulating colored marks written on a dead tree.

  2. A tree that is still standing, but no longer alive. (compare: log, stump)

Translations

Finnish paperi-, paperinen
  • paperi-made of or pertaining to paper
  • paperinenmade of or pertaining to paper
Cite this entry
APA

dead tree. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20tree

MLA

“dead tree.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20tree. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dead tree,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20tree.

Source: dead tree on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.