palimpsest

See also: Palimpsest

English

WOTD – 17 October 2007

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

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ˈpælɪmpsɛst/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

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

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:palimpsest.

Synonyms

• codex rescriptus

Derived terms

• palimpsestic
• palimpsestuous

Translations

manuscript scraped clean for reuse

• Arabic: طِرْس m (ṭirs)
• Asturian: palimpsestu m
• Czech: palimpsest (cs) m
• Dutch: palimpsest (nl)
• French: palimpseste (fr) m
• Galician: palimpsesto (gl) m
• German: Palimpsest (de) m
• Greek: παλίμψηστος (el) m (palímpsistos)

  Ancient: παλίμψηστος m (palímpsēstos)

• Hungarian: palimpszeszt
• Icelandic: uppskafningur (is) m, skafið handrit n
• Italian: palinsesto (it) m
• Latin: palimpsēstus m
• Norwegian: palimpsest (no) m
• Polish: palimpsest (pl) m
• Portuguese: palimpsesto (pt) m
• Romanian: palimpsest (ro) n
• Russian: палимпсе́ст (ru) m (palimpsést)
• Serbo-Croatian: palimpsest (sh) m
• Slovene: palimpsest (sl) m
• Spanish: palimpsesto (es) m
• Swedish: palimpsest (sv) c

astronomy: Circular features believed to be lunar craters obliterated by volcanic activity

• Icelandic: skafgígur m

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

• pentimento

Anagrams

• past simple, simple past

Czech

Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos).

Noun

palimpsest m inan

1. palimpsest

Declension

Declension of palimpsest (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	palimpsest	palimpsesty
genitive	palimpsestu	palimpsestů
dative	palimpsestu	palimpsestům
accusative	palimpsest	palimpsesty
vocative	palimpseste	palimpsesty
locative	palimpsestu	palimpsestech
instrumental	palimpsestem	palimpsesty

Danish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos).

Noun

palimpsest c (singular definite palimpsesten, plural indefinite palimpsester)

1. palimpsest

Declension

Declension of palimpsest

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	palimpsest	palimpsesten	palimpsester	palimpsesterne
genitive	palimpsests	palimpsestens	palimpsesters	palimpsesternes

References

• “palimpsest” in Den Danske Ordbog

Polish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paˈlim.psɛst/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -impsɛst
• Syllabification: pa‧lim‧psest

Noun

palimpsest m inan

1. palimpsest

Declension

Declension of palimpsest

	singular	plural
nominative	palimpsest	palimpsesty
genitive	palimpsestu	palimpsestów
dative	palimpsestowi	palimpsestom
accusative	palimpsest	palimpsesty
instrumental	palimpsestem	palimpsestami
locative	palimpseście	palimpsestach
vocative	palimpseście	palimpsesty

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

• IPA^(key): [pa.limpˈsest]

Noun

palimpsest n (plural palimpseste)

1. palimpsest

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	palimpsest	palimpsestul		palimpseste	palimpsestele
genitive-dative	palimpsest	palimpsestului		palimpseste	palimpsestelor
vocative	palimpsestule			palimpsestelor

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

Declension of palimpsest

	singular	plural
nominative	palimpsest	palimpsesti
genitive	palimpsesta	palimpsesta
dative	palimpsestu	palimpsestima
accusative	palimpsest	palimpseste
vocative	palimpseste	palimpsesti
locative	palimpsestu	palimpsestima
instrumental	palimpsestom	palimpsestima

Slovene

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /palimpséːst/

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/, [ˈpʰalɪmpʰˌsɛst]

Noun

palimpsest m (plural palimpsestau)

1. palimpsest

Mutation

Mutated forms of palimpsest

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
palimpsest	balimpsest	mhalimpsest	phalimpsest

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

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