Word
papyrus
Phoneticspa·pyrus
UK/pɐpˈaɪɹəs/
Definition
n. an ancient paper-like material made from the stems of a plant that grows in Egypt. People used it to write important documents and books thousands of years ago.
n. a paper-like material made from the pith of the Cyperus papyrus plant, used as a writing surface in ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean. Often refers to the physical scrolls or documents written on this medium.
Examples
“The museum displays ancient scrolls made of papyrus.”
“Archaeologists discovered a well-preserved papyrus scroll containing a list of taxes from the time of the pharaohs.”
“The transition from papyrus to parchment in the late Roman Empire allowed for more durable manuscripts that could survive the humid conditions of the Mediterranean climate.”
Examples
simple
“The museum displays ancient scrolls made of papyrus.”
contextual
“Archaeologists discovered a well-preserved papyrus scroll containing a list of taxes from the time of the pharaohs.”
complex
“The transition from papyrus to parchment in the late Roman Empire allowed for more durable manuscripts that could survive the humid conditions of the Mediterranean climate.”
Real-World Examples
“The museum's texts appear on a range of materials, from papyrus to vellum to animal skin.” “The papyrus was identified as part of the famous "Catalogue of Ships," one of the best-known sections of the ancient epic.” Etymology
From Middle English papirus, borrowed from Latin papȳrus, from Ancient Greek πάπυρος (pápuros), of unknown origin. Doublet of papyros.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.