Where does “palimpsest” come from?
Palimpsest comes from Latin palimpsestus, from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος, combining πάλις (again) and ψάω (to scrape), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- (to turn or move).
palimpsest (English): A manuscript or document that has been erased or...
Definitions
- A manuscript or document that has been erased or...
Ancestry of “palimpsest”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | palimpsēstus | A palimpsest; a manuscript scraped clean for reuse |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | παλίμψηστος | scratched or scraped again |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πάλιν | back, backwards; again, once more, anew; again,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πάλις | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷl̥His | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |