papyrus

/pəˈpaɪrəs/

/pəˈpaɪrəs/

Other forms: papyri; papyruses

The word "paper" comes from papyrus, which is "the paper plant, or paper made from it." When the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans wanted to jot something down, they used papyrus.

Papyrus plants used to grow all over the Nile Delta in Egypt, which is why it was so popular with the King Tut set. They used it to make everything from mattresses to sandals, but papyrus is mostly famous as the thick paper ancient Egyptians wrote important documents on, like, say, a note from Cleopatra. It also refers to the paper itself, like the recently discovered papyrus of Cleopatra, on which she wrote "make it happen." Yes ma'am.

Definitions of papyrus

1. noun

   tall sedge of the Nile valley yielding fiber that served many purposes in historic times
   synonyms: Cyperus papyrus, Egyptian paper reed, Egyptian paper rush, paper plant, paper rush

   type of:

   sedge

   grasslike or rushlike plant growing in wet places having solid stems, narrow grasslike leaves and spikelets of inconspicuous flowers
2. noun

   paper made from the papyrus plant by cutting it in strips and pressing it flat; used by ancient Egyptians and Greeks and Romans
   type of:

   paper

   a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
3. noun

   a document written on papyrus
   type of:

   document, papers, written document

   writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)