diptych

[ dip-tik ]

/ ˈdɪp tɪk /

noun

a hinged two-leaved tablet used in ancient times for writing on with a stylus.

Usually diptychs.

a similar tablet of wood or metal containing on one leaf the names of those among the living, and on the other those among the dead, for whom prayers and Masses are said.
the lists of such persons.
the intercession in the course of which these names were introduced.

a pair of pictures or carvings on two panels, usually hinged together.

Nearby words

Origin of diptych

1615–25; < Late Latin diptycha writing tablet with two leaves < Greek díptycha, neuter plural of díptychos folded together, equivalent to di- di-¹ + -ptychos, verbid of ptýssein to fold

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for diptych

Then he paired the pictures of past and present in diptych form.
Hai Bo and China's Photography Boom|Philip Gefter|January 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
"Quickening" introduces the second room of the exhibit and features a diptych of pregnant women, their faces also ravaged by time.
A Woman in Full|Chloe Malle|February 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST
A diptych which belongs to the same shrine may also be mentioned.
The Industrial Arts in Spain|Juan F. Riao
By various councils it was ordained that the name of the pope should always be inserted in the diptych list.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 5|Various

The illustration given here is from the diptych of the Consul Areobrudus, and belongs to the year 506 (Fig. 73).
A History of Art for Beginners and Students|Clara Erskine Clement
A codex of two leaves was called a diptych; of three, a triptych, etc.
Illuminated Manuscripts|John W. Bradley
This morning, he succeeded in giving the final details to a diptych whose appearance had heretofore not satisfied him.
Very Woman|Remy de Gourmont

British Dictionary definitions for diptych

diptych

/ (ˈdɪptɪk) /

noun

a pair of hinged wooden tablets with waxed surfaces for writing

a painting or carving on two panels, usually hinged like a book

Word Origin for diptych

C17: from Greek diptukhos folded together, from di 1 + ptukhos fold; compare triptych

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for diptych

diptych

1620s, from Latin diptycha (plural), from late Greek diptykha, neuter plural of diptykhos "double-folded, doubled," from dis- "two" + ptykhe "fold."