Papyrus is a tall water plant that grows in Africa.
2. uncountable noun
Papyrus is a type of paper made from papyrus stems that was used in ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece.
3. countable noun
A papyrus is an ancient document that is written on papyrus.
papyrus in British English
(pəˈpaɪrəs)
nounWord forms: plural-ri (-raɪ) or -ruses
1.
a tall aquatic cyperaceous plant, Cyperus papyrus, of S Europe and N and central Africa with small green-stalked flowers arranged like umbrella spokes around the stem top
2.
a kind of paper made from the stem pith of this plant, used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans
3.
an ancient document written on this paper
Word origin
C14: via Latin from Greek papūros reed used in making paper
papyrus in American English
(pəˈpaɪrəs)
nounWord forms: pluralpaˈpyˌri (pəˈpaɪˌraɪ) or paˈpyruses
1.
a tall water plant (Cyperus papyrus) of the sedge family, abundant in the Nile region of Egypt and widely cultivated as an ornamental
2.
a writing material made from this plant by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, by soaking,pressing, and drying thin slices of its pith laid crosswise
3.
any ancient document or manuscript on papyrus
Word origin
ME papirus < L papyrus < Gr papyros, prob. < Coptic paparo < ? Egypt pʾ-n-pr-ʿʾ, that of the pharaoh