english word · 2026-06-26
Palimpsest
noun
Meaning
A piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain. It refers more broadly to something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form.
Etymology
From the Greek 'palimpsestos', meaning 'scraped again'.
Examples
"The medieval manuscript was a palimpsest, revealing faint glimpses of an ancient Greek text beneath the holy hymns."
"The city's architecture is a palimpsest of history, where modern glass towers rise directly from the limestone foundations of the old world."
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