palimpsest

noun

pa·​limp·​sest ˈpa-ləm(p)-ˌsest  pə-ˈlim(p)- 

1

: writing material (such as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased

2

: something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface

Canada … is a palimpsest, an overlay of classes and generations.

—Margaret Atwood

too short a time to get to know the palimpsest of Genevan societies, let alone those of Switzerland

—George Steiner

Did you know?

Long ago, writing surfaces were so rare that they were often used more than once. Palimpsest originally described an early form of recycling in which an old document was erased to make room for a new one when parchment ran short. (The word is from the Greek palimpsēstos, meaning "scraped again.") Fortunately for modern scholars, the erasing process wasn't completely effective, so the original could often be distinguished under the newer writing. De republica, by Roman statesman and orator Cicero, is one of many documents thus recovered from a palimpsest. Nowadays, the word palimpsest can refer not only to such a document but to anything that has multiple layers.

Examples of palimpsest in a Sentence

The ancient city is an architectural palimpsest.

Recent Examples on the Web

In his own office upstairs, nails and hooks studded the walls behind him — a palimpsest of the photos, certificates and honorary police badges displayed there until very recently. —Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2024

Subsequent retaining walls and buttresses have transformed the bridge into a palimpsest of building styles. —David Laskin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2024

The trail is a palimpsest of their giant, pancake-round tracks and the lobed pads of hyenas or toes of civets. —Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024

The Location The hotel sits on the city's famous Rustaveli Avenue, which reflects a palimpsest of architectural eras like 19th-century mansions sandwiched between modern structures. —Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin palimpsestus, from Greek palimpsēstos scraped again, from palin + psēn to rub, scrape; akin to Sanskrit psāti, babhasti he chews

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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