papyrus

American  

[puh-pahy-ruhs] / pəˈpaɪ rəs /

noun

plural

papyri, papyruses

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. an ancient document, manuscript, or scroll written on this material.

---

papyrus British  

/ pəˈpaɪrəs /

noun

1. 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

2. a kind of paper made from the stem pith of this plant, used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans

3. an ancient document written on this paper

---

Other Word Forms

• papyral adjective
• papyrian adjective
• papyrine adjective
• papyritious adjective

Etymology

Origin of papyrus

1350–1400; Middle English papirus < Latin papȳrus < Greek pápȳros

Example Sentences

The papyrus that my mother had thrown out the window was on it—drawings of the pharaoh, obelisks, and other things.

From Literature

In the past, some of the documents, which are made from a thick paper-like material called papyrus, were prised open but they crumbled into pieces.

From BBC

Wheat-based glues have a long history in bookbinding that originates in ancient Egyptian texts, which experts have partially attributed to the longevity of the world's collection of papyrus documents.

From Salon

The messenger unwraps the sash and gives me a small piece of papyrus.

From Literature

The Sumerians of Mesopotamia devised a love song by around 2000 BCE, and scholars of Ancient Egypt have found love songs inscribed into pottery and written on sheets of papyrus.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• card
• note
• pad
• poster
• sheet
• stationery