papyrus
a tall, aquatic plant, Cyperus papyrus, of the sedge family, native to the Nile valley: the Egyptian subspecies, C. papyrus hadidii, thought to be common in ancient times, now occurs only in several sites.
a material on which to write, prepared from thin strips of the pith of this plant laid together, soaked, pressed, and dried, used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.
an ancient document, manuscript, or scroll written on this material.
Origin of papyrus
1Other words from papyrus
- pa·py·ral, pa·pyr·i·an [puh-pir-ee-uhn], /pəˈpɪr i ən/, pa·py·rine [puh-pahy-rin], /pəˈpaɪ rɪn/, adjective
- pap·y·ri·tious [pap-uh-rish-uhs], /ˌpæp əˈrɪʃ əs/, adjective
Words Nearby papyrus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use papyrus in a sentence
It subsequently emerged that many other papyrus fragments in the 5000-piece collection were also missing.
Forget Art and Gems, Thieves Make Discreet Millions at the Library | Candida Moss | May 30, 2021 | The Daily BeastAmong the artifacts discovered were pieces of a 15-foot-long papyrus that included texts of the Book of the Dead, a collection of spells written by priests to help the deceased pass through the underworld and into the afterlife.
In the tombs of Saqqara, new discoveries are rewriting ancient Egypt’s history | Sudarsan Raghavan | April 22, 2021 | Washington PostInside a store room, Ahmed Tarek and Maysa Rabea are placing the jagged pieces of the papyrus together, like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle.
In the tombs of Saqqara, new discoveries are rewriting ancient Egypt’s history | Sudarsan Raghavan | April 22, 2021 | Washington PostAt least in the case of this latest von Scherling papyrus we have some idea where the text is from.
Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts | Candida Moss | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis past week a new eBay auction announced the sale of “Ancient Egyptian papyrus with Greek letters—Bible.”
Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts | Candida Moss | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Perfume bottles and weathered papyrus replicas gather dust in the grubby window displays of the empty shops.
Unfortunately, the papyrus was too fragile to allow for carbon testing of the ink.
The ‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ is Still as Big a Mystery as Ever | Candida Moss | April 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFrancis Watson argued that all of the fragmentary sentences preserved on the papyrus are also found in the Gospel of Thomas.
The ‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ is Still as Big a Mystery as Ever | Candida Moss | April 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Egyptians also made ropes from papyrus and palm fibers, of which specimens still exist.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge | VariousTwelve of these ropes were used, about nine inches thick, some of them being made of flax and others of papyrus.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge | VariousWhen some dexterity had been acquired, the pupil was taught to use the reed pen and write with ink upon papyrus.
The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone JohnstonThis is a most important papyrus for a knowledge of Ancient Egyptian philosophy.
Scarabs | Isaac MyerThe Ebers papyrus shows us that the specialties were by no means scantily developed.
Education: How Old The New | James J. Walsh
British Dictionary definitions for papyrus
/ (pəˈpaɪrəs) /
a tall aquatic cyperaceous plant, Cyperus papyrus, of S Europe and N and central Africa with small green-stalked flowers arranged like umbrella spokes around the stem top
a kind of paper made from the stem pith of this plant, used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans
an ancient document written on this paper
Origin of papyrus
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse