Word of the day · 1 August 2026
palimpsest
/ˈpælɪmpsɛst/
noun
A surface reused after earlier writing was erased, with traces still visible; by extension, something with layered history.
In a sentence
- The old wall is a palimpsest of posters, paint and graffiti.
- Her notebook became a palimpsest of crossed-out plans.
- Historians read the district as a palimpsest of trade routes.
In an image
Origin
From Greek palimpsēstos (scraped again), from palin (again) and psēn (to rub smooth).
History
Medieval scribes scraped parchment clean to reuse costly pages, leaving ghost text below. Scholars later recovered those underlayers with new tools. Metaphorical use treats cities, memories and landscapes as palimpsests of successive eras. The word rewards anyone who looks for what remains under the latest coat.
Nearby words
overwrite · layer · manuscript
Old marks showing through the new draft of a place or page.