triptych
noun
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Triptych Has Greek Roots
A painted or carved triptych typically has three hinged panels, and the two outer panels can be folded in towards the central one. A literary or musical triptych generally consists of three closely related or contrasting themes or parts. Triptych derives from the Greek triptychos ("having three folds"), formed by combining tri- ("three") and ptychē ("fold" or "layer"). Although triptych originally described a specific type of Roman writing tablet that had three hinged sections, it is not surprising that the idea was generalized first to a type of painting, and then to anything composed of three parts.
Examples of triptych in a Sentence
Rhonda Richford, WWD, 19 Mar. 2025
On the first stairway flight leading from the Majestic lobby, a bold oil on canvas triptych by painter and sculptor Alfonso Alzamora is immediately recognizable as quoting Velásquez’s celebrated work.
—John Oseid, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Cut to: a 26-foot-long triptych that takes up a wall at the Barnes and is entitled The Splendid Table, finished in 2020.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2025
It was flanked by two large monitors, creating a triptych.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for triptych
Cite this Entry
“Triptych.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triptych. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
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