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Definition of palimpsest noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

palimpsest

noun
 
/ˈpælɪmpsest/
 
/ˈpælɪmpsest/
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  1. an ancient document from which some or all of the original text has been removed and replaced by a new text
  2. (formal) something that has many different layers of meaning or detail
    • a study of the novel as a palimpsest with one textual layer over another
    3. Word Originmid 17th cent.: via Latin from Greek palimpsēstos, from palin ‘again’ + psēstos ‘rubbed smooth’.
See palimpsest in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: palimpsest

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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