Papyrus
/pəˈpaɪ.rəs/noun
A writing material made from the pith of the papyrus plant, used in ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean world.
Did you know?The English word ultimately comes from Ancient Greek πάπυρος (pápyros), the same source behind *paper* in many languages, but its deeper pre-Greek origin is still obscure.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Grk
πάπυρος (pápyros)
“The papyrus plant and the writing material made from it”
Latin
Lat
papȳrus
“Papyrus; writing material made from the papyrus plant”
Old French
OF
papier
“Paper; writing material”
Middle English
Eng
papir / paper
“Paper; writing material”
Modern English
Eng
papyrus
“Writing material made from the papyrus plant”