Illustration of papyrus
- papyrus 1
papyrus
noun
pa·py·rus
pə-ˈpī-rəs 
plural papyri
pə-ˈpī-(ˌ)rē
-rī
or papyruses
1
: a tall perennial sedge (Cyperus papyrus) of the Nile valley
2
: the pith of the papyrus plant especially when made into strips and pressed into a material to write on
3
a
: a writing on papyrus
b
: a written scroll made of papyrus
He discovered a papyrus in the ruins.
Examples of papyrus in a Sentence
an ancient text written on papyrus
He discovered a papyrus in the ruins.
Recent Examples on the Web
Made with stems from the Cyperus papyrus plant, the organic material is fragile, sometimes falling victim to fungal infections.
—
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 2024
The Herculaneum scrolls are hundreds of papyri that survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024
Achieving this milestone would set the stage for reading many more of the Herculaneum papyri and other ancient texts.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
But scholars have long debated how to translate the ingredients named in ancient inscriptions and papyri, meaning that much of the mummy recipe has remained a mystery.
—Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
The lumps were in fact scrolls—also known as papyri, named for the papyrus they are made from—which had carbonized in the high-temperature, low-oxygen conditions created by the pyroclastic flows of the eruption.
—Will Henshall, TIME, 21 Oct. 2023
Discovered in the nineteen-thirties, the papyrus lists the religious rituals to be carried out by the unit throughout the year, many of them focussed on the ruling emperor, Alexander Severus.
—Mary Beard, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
The resultant Greco-Egyptian magic was codified in a series of papyri, some of which survive to this day.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 11 May 2022
Seales’ team has also trained machine learning algorithms to distinguish between differences in the papyrus’ structure, helping researchers see where ink settled on the page.
—Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2023
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 2024
The Herculaneum scrolls are hundreds of papyri that survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024
Achieving this milestone would set the stage for reading many more of the Herculaneum papyri and other ancient texts.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
But scholars have long debated how to translate the ingredients named in ancient inscriptions and papyri, meaning that much of the mummy recipe has remained a mystery.
—Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
The lumps were in fact scrolls—also known as papyri, named for the papyrus they are made from—which had carbonized in the high-temperature, low-oxygen conditions created by the pyroclastic flows of the eruption.
—Will Henshall, TIME, 21 Oct. 2023
Discovered in the nineteen-thirties, the papyrus lists the religious rituals to be carried out by the unit throughout the year, many of them focussed on the ruling emperor, Alexander Severus.
—Mary Beard, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
The resultant Greco-Egyptian magic was codified in a series of papyri, some of which survive to this day.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 11 May 2022
Seales’ team has also trained machine learning algorithms to distinguish between differences in the papyrus’ structure, helping researchers see where ink settled on the page.
—Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'papyrus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near papyrus
Cite this Entry
“Papyrus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/papyrus. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
papyrus
noun
pa·py·rus
pə-ˈpī-rəs
plural papyri
-ˈpī(ə)r-ē
-ˌī
also papyruses
1
: a tall sedge of the Nile valley
2
: the soft central part of papyrus stems especially when made into strips and pressed into a writing material
3
: a writing on or written scroll of papyrus
Etymology
Middle English papyrus "papyrus," from Latin papyrus "papyrus, paper," from Greek papyros "papyrus" — related to paper
More from Merriam-Webster on papyrus
Nglish: Translation of papyrus for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about papyrus
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