Papyrus
[pə'paɪrəs]
Definition
(noun.) a document written on papyrus.
(noun.) tall sedge of the Nile valley yielding fiber that served many purposes in historic times.
(noun.) paper made from the papyrus plant by cutting it in strips and pressing it flat; used by ancient Egyptians and Greeks and Romans.
Editor: Theresa--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) A tall rushlike plant (Cyperus Papyrus) of the Sedge family, formerly growing in Egypt, and now found in Abyssinia, Syria, Sicily, etc. The stem is triangular and about an inch thick.
(n.) The material upon which the ancient Egyptians wrote. It was formed by cutting the stem of the plant into thin longitudinal slices, which were gummed together and pressed.
(n.) A manuscript written on papyrus; esp., pl., written scrolls made of papyrus; as, the papyri of Egypt or Herculaneum.
Typist: Ted
Definition
n. an Egyptian sedge now scarcely found there from the inner pith (byblos) of which the ancients made their paper: a manuscript on papyrus:—pl. Papy′rī.—adjs. Papyrā′ceous Pap′yral Papyr′ēan Pap′yrine pertaining to the papyrus or to papyri: like paper in appearance and consistency; Papyrit′ious resembling paper as the nests of certain wasps.—n. Papyrograph (pā-pī′rō-graf) a hectograph or apparatus for producing copies of a written or printed document.—v.t. to produce by means of such.—adj. Pāpyrograph′ic.—n. Papyrog′raphy.
Typist: Melville
Examples
- Had there been presses, they would have had to stand idle while the papyrus rolls were slowly made. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Until that time books had to be written upon parchment or papyrus, and after the Arab conquest of Egypt Europe was cut off from the papyrus supply. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Our most satisf actory data in reference to Egyptian medicine are derived, however, from the Ebers papyrus. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- Papyrus does not, however, appear to have been superseded until the twelfth century. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
- The supply of papyrus was strictly limited, strip had to be fastened to strip, and there was no standard size of sheet. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- But they early resorted to strips of the papyrus reed fastened together, from whose name comes our word paper. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Originally made from the fibres of the papyrus plant, and later from rags beaten into a pulp, paper for the printing of books and newspapers is now made almost entirely of wood. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- Twelve of these ropes were used, about nine inches thick, some of them being made of flax and others of papyrus. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- In the seventh century, the Saracens conquered Egypt and carried back therefrom, papyrus, and the knowledge of how to make paper from it to Europe. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
- Parchment manufactured from the skins of young calves, kids, lambs, sheep, and goats, was an early rival of papyrus, and was known and used in Europe before papyrus was there introduced. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
Edited by Flo