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palimpsest

Pronunciation: /ˈpalɪm(p)sɛst/

Definition of palimpsest

noun

  • a manuscript or piece of writing material on which later writing has been superimposed on effaced earlier writing.
  • something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form:Sutton Place is a palimpsest of the taste of successive owners

Derivatives

palimpsestic

adjective

Origin:

mid 17th century: via Latin from Greek palimpsēstos, from palin 'again' + psēstos 'rubbed smooth'

palimpsest in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of palimpsest in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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