noun
papyrus
puh-PEYE-ruhs
noun
1
A tall reed-like plant that grows along the Nile, once used to make an early writing material.
"Papyrus once grew thick along the riverbanks of ancient Egypt."
2
A paper-like writing material made from this plant, or an ancient document written on it.
"Archaeologists uncovered a papyrus dating back over 3,000 years."
How to Use Papyrus
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe ancient plant-based writing material used before true paper existed, or the plant it came from.
Common mistake
Papyrus predates paper — it's made by pressing plant strips together, not pulping fibres.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
papyri plural, papyruses plural
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_____ once grew thick along the riverbanks of ancient Egypt.
Etymology
From Latin papyrus, from Greek papyros — the ultimate source of the word "paper" itself.