palimpsest
[ pal-imp-sest ]
/ ˈpæl ɪmpˌsɛst /
noun
a parchment or the like from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make room for another text.
Origin of palimpsest
1655–65; < Latin
palimpsēstus < Greek
palímpsēstos rubbed again (
pálin again +
psēstós scraped, rubbed, verbid of
psân to rub smooth)
OTHER WORDS FROM palimpsest
pal·imp·ses·tic, adjectiveWords nearby palimpsest
palikir,
palila,
palilalia,
palilogy,
palimony,
palimpsest,
palimscope,
palindrome,
palindromia,
palindromic,
paling
Example sentences from the Web for palimpsest
British Dictionary definitions for palimpsest
palimpsest
/ (ˈpælɪmpˌsɛst) /
noun
a manuscript on which two or more successive texts have been written, each one being erased to make room for the next
adjective
(of a text) written on a palimpsest
(of a document) used as a palimpsest
Word Origin for palimpsest
C17: from Latin
palimpsestus parchment cleaned for reuse, from Greek
palimpsēstos, from
palin again +
psēstos rubbed smooth, from
psēn to scrape