papyrus

Noun
Synonyms: Egyptian paper reedEgyptian paper rushpaper rushpaper plantCyperus papyrus

WordNet 3.0

Noun (3)

  1. paper made from the papyrus plant by cutting it in strips and pressing it flat; used by ancient Egyptians and Greeks and Romans
  2. tall sedge of the Nile valley yielding fiber that served many purposes in historic timesSynonyms: Egyptian paper reedEgyptian paper rushpaper rushpaper plantCyperus papyrus
  3. a document written on papyrus
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Papyrus \Pa*py"rus\, n.; pl. Papyri. [L., fr. Gr. pa`pyros. See Paper.]

1.(Bot.) 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. [1913 Webster]

2.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. [1913 Webster]

3.A manuscript written on papyrus; esp., pl., written scrolls made of papyrus; as, the papyri of Egypt or Herculaneum. [1913 Webster]

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