papyrus
papyrus Lexical Profile
papyrus Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A thick, paper-like writing material prepared in ancient Egypt and across the Mediterranean world from the sliced and pressed pithy stems of a tall aquatic sedge.
"Ancient scribes used reed pens and carbon ink to record administrative and religious texts on sheets of papyrus."
A tall, perennial aquatic sedge (Cyperus papyrus) of the family Cyperaceae, native to the Nile Valley and wetland regions of Africa, characterized by stout triangular stems topped with dense, feathery umbels.
"Dense stands of papyrus line the shallow marshlands along the banks of the Nile River."
An ancient manuscript, scroll, or fragment written on papyrus.
"Archaeologists carefully unrolled the fragile papyrus to translate the centuries-old medical treatise."
• Rhymes for papyrus
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'papyrus', from Ancient Greek 'papyros', which is likely derived from an Ancient Egyptian word meaning 'that which belongs to the king' (referring to the royal monopoly on its manufacture); it is also the direct linguistic ancestor of the English word 'paper'.