palimpsest
/ˈpælɪmpsɛst/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.05 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
noun
Circular features believed to be lunar craters that have been obliterated by later volcanic activity.
noun
Geological features thought to be related to features or effects below the surface.
noun
Memory that has been erased and re-written.
noun
A text with several layers of meaning, especially pertaining to different points in time.
Example Sentences
- "But on her he did not see even the palimpsest of a smile."
- "I also agree there's more instrumental development that needs doing. For all we know there's a fourth layer to the palimpsest."
- "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."
- "... 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."
- "Typically refers to a multi-layered work, e.g.: new ads covering old on a roadside sign."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpælɪmpsɛst/
- British English: /ˈpælɪmpsɛst/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
codex rescriptus