51Թ

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palimpsest

[ pal-imp-sest ]

noun

  1. a parchment or the like from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make room for another text.
  2. something that has a new layer, aspect, or appearance that builds on its past and allows us to see or perceive parts of this past: Today's towering Romanesque-Gothic structure is a palimpsest, the result of numerous additions and reconstructions.

    Most of what we actually see when we view any culture is a historical palimpsest, with traces of former times.

    Today's towering Romanesque-Gothic structure is a palimpsest, the result of numerous additions and reconstructions.

    Memory is a palimpsest that is continually being written over, but never perfectly so.



palimpsest

/ ˈæɪˌɛ /

noun

  1. a manuscript on which two or more successive texts have been written, each one being erased to make room for the next
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. (of a text) written on a palimpsest
  2. (of a document) used as a palimpsest
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • 貹···پ [pal-imp-, ses, -tik] adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of palimpsest1

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin 貹ŧٳܲ, from Greek 貹íŧٴDz “rubbed again” ( á “again” + ŧó “scraped, rubbed,” past participle of â “to rub smooth”)
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of palimpsest1

C17: from Latin palimpsestus parchment cleaned for reuse, from Greek 貹ŧٴDz, from palin again + ŧٴDz rubbed smooth, from ŧ to scrape
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The end result can evoke a palimpsest feel.

From

Each new power painted over its predecessors’ propaganda posters and insignia, leaving the province’s buildings a palimpsest of the war’s winners and losers.

From

After so many years, St. Mark’s Church is a palimpsest of memories for Mullins.

From

“They have this palimpsest of a billion years of history.”

From

“Just know that history is like a palimpsest manuscript. Know what that is?”

From

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