papyrus
UK: pəˈpaɪrəs | US: pəˈpaɪrəs
n. 1. A material made from the pith of the papyrus plant, used in ancient times for writing or painting.
n. 2. A document or scroll written on this material.
n. 3. The tall aquatic plant (Cyperus papyrus) from which this material is derived.
The word "papyrus" comes directly from Latin, which borrowed it from Greek πάπυρος (papyros). The Greek term likely originated from an Egyptian or pre-Greek Mediterranean source, reflecting the plant's native habitat along the Nile. The suffix "-us" is a Latin nominal ending. Historically, the word has retained its core meaning tied to the plant and its use as a writing surface, symbolizing early human communication.
Ancient Egyptians wrote hieroglyphs on sheets of papyrus.
The museum displayed a well-preserved papyrus from the 12th dynasty.
Papyrus was a revolutionary invention for record-keeping in antiquity.
The artist sketched a landscape on handmade papyrus.
Scholars study carbonized papyri to recover lost texts.