papyrus

[puh-pahy-ruhs]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of papyrus¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of papyrus¹

C14: via Latin from Greek papūros reed used in making paper

Related Words

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