palimpsest

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See also: Palimpsest

English

A section of the Codex Ephraemi from the National Library in Paris, containing Matt. 20:16-23. An example of a palimpsest.
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

From Latin palimpsēstus, from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos, scraped again).

Pronunciation

Noun

palimpsest (plural palimpsests)

  1. A manuscript or document that has been erased or scraped clean, for reuse of the paper, parchment, vellum, or other medium on which it was written.
  2. (archaic) Monumental brasses that have been reused by engraving of the blank back side.
  3. (astronomy) Circular features believed to be lunar craters that have been obliterated by later volcanic activity.
  4. (geology) Geological features thought to be related to features or effects below the surface.
  5. (computing) Memory that has been erased and re-written.
  6. (cultural studies) The partial erasure of or superimposition on an older society or culture by a newer one.
  7. Something bearing the traces of an earlier, erased form.
    • 2022, Ian McEwan, Lessons, page 329:
      But on her he did not see even the palimpsest of a smile.
  8. A text with several layers of meaning, especially pertaining to different points in time.
    • 2005, Patrick Radden Keefe, Chatter:
      Miraculously, the Stasi's record of Garton Ash's years in Berlin remained intact, and in his extraordinary book The File he recalls going back to Berlin, sifting through the material, and piecing together those years for himself. The result is a palimpsest of memories, observations recorded by informants and agents, and the recollections in his own diaries at that time.
    • 2015 April 28, Martha C. Carpentier, Joycean Legacies, Springer, →ISBN:
      ... with the multilingual portmanteau words and phrases giving the text the quality of a palimpsest upon which multiple layers of textual meaning can be simultaneously detected.

Quotations

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

palimpsest (third-person singular simple present palimpsests, present participle palimpsesting, simple past and past participle palimpsested)

  1. To scrape clean, as in parchment, for reuse.
  2. On paper: to reuse, often by erasure or change of pen direction or color. Especially fueled by Earth Day.
    Typically refers to a multi-layered work, e.g.: new ads covering old on a roadside sign.

See also

Anagrams

Czech

Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos).

Noun

palimpsest m inan

  1. palimpsest

Declension

Danish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos).

Noun

palimpsest c (singular definite palimpsesten, plural indefinite palimpsester)

  1. palimpsest

Declension

References

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos).

Pronunciation

Noun

palimpsest m inan

  1. palimpsest

Declension

Further reading

  • palimpsest in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • palimpsest in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French palimpseste, from Latin palimpsēstus, from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos, scraped again).

Pronunciation

Noun

palimpsest n (plural palimpseste)

  1. palimpsest

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /palǐmpsest/
  • Hyphenation: pa‧lim‧psest

Noun

palìmpsest m (Cyrillic spelling палѝмпсест)

  1. palimpsest

Declension

Slovene

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos).

Pronunciation

Noun

palimpsẹ̑st m inan

  1. palimpsest

Inflection

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.
Masculine inan., hard o-stem
nom. sing. palimpsést
gen. sing. palimpsésta
singular dual plural
nominative
(imenovȃlnik)
palimpsést palimpsésta palimpsésti
genitive
(rodȋlnik)
palimpsésta palimpséstov palimpséstov
dative
(dajȃlnik)
palimpséstu palimpséstoma palimpséstom
accusative
(tožȋlnik)
palimpsést palimpsésta palimpséste
locative
(mẹ̑stnik)
palimpséstu palimpséstih palimpséstih
instrumental
(orọ̑dnik)
palimpséstom palimpséstoma palimpsésti

Welsh

Etymology

From English palimpsest, Latin palimpsēstus, from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos, scraped again).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpalɪmpˌsɛsd/,

Noun

palimpsest m (plural palimpsestau)

  1. palimpsest

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
palimpsest balimpsest mhalimpsest phalimpsest
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “palimpsest”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies