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Glite Dictionary
🏛️ Layered remains 📜 Reused writing
palimpsestic

palimpsestic

1 9.9
About a document written over but still showing earlier writing
  • adjective
  • /ˌpælɪmˈsɛstɪk/
  • Specialized
: palimpséstico
  • Researchers used special imaging to reveal the palimpsestic writing hidden beneath the surface.

Examples

  • The historian marveled at the palimpsestic layers of text on the ancient parchment.

  • The palimpsestic nature of the document made it a valuable source for medieval studies.

  • This manuscript is palimpsestic.

  • Look at the palimpsestic layers!

  • The historian marveled at the palimpsestic layers of text on the ancient parchment.

  • Researchers used special imaging to reveal the palimpsestic writing hidden beneath the surface.

  • The palimpsestic nature of the document made it a valuable source for medieval studies.

Surface Forms

palimpsestic positive

Morphology

palimpsestic = palimpsest (transparent) = palimpsest + ic

Regular adjectival formation from 'palimpsest' expressing the property of being like or relating to a palimpsest.

Etymology

Palimpsestic comes from Greek palin 'again' and psēstos 'scraped', because old manuscripts were scraped and written on again. So a palimpsestic document is one where earlier writing was removed and new writing put over it, but the old words can still be seen.