polyptych

American  

[pol-ip-tik] / ˈpɒl ɪp tɪk /

noun

1. a work of art composed of several connected panels.

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polyptych British  

/ ˈpɒlɪptɪk /

noun

1. an altarpiece consisting of more than three panels, set with paintings or carvings, and usually hinged for folding Compare diptych triptych

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Etymology

Origin of polyptych

1855–60; special use of Late Latin polyptychum < Greek polýptychon a register, roll, noun use of neuter of polýptychos having many folds. See poly-, diptych, triptych

Example Sentences

Museums have tried and failed in the past to assemble the remaining eight panels, spread among five museums in Europe and the United States, of the original 30-piece polyptych.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 19, 2024

The statuesque figures in April Bey’s woven tapestry polyptych, “Sankofa, They/Them,” don’t so much look at you as through you.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2023

“The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb,” often referred to as the Ghent Altarpiece, is an elaborate polyptych consisting of 12 panels painted in oils, which is displayed in the cathedral of St. Bavo in Ghent, Belgium.

From Salon • Oct. 23, 2016

In this show a set of four prints like a medieval church polyptych suggests an older religious context.

From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2011

It was a polyptych of five small panels hinged together and somewhat pompously titled A Tribute to the American Working People.

From Time Magazine Archive