cyperus papyrus

2 definitions found

cyperus papyrus - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Papyrus \Pa*py"rus\, n.; pl. Papyri. [L., fr. Gr. pa`pyros.
     See Paper.]
     1. (Bot.) A tall rushlike plant (Cyperus Papyrus) of the
        Sedge family, formerly growing in Egypt, and now found in
        Abyssinia, Syria, Sicily, etc. The stem is triangular and
        about an inch thick.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The material upon which the ancient Egyptians wrote. It
        was formed by cutting the stem of the plant into thin
        longitudinal slices, which were gummed together and
        pressed.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A manuscript written on papyrus; esp., pl., written
        scrolls made of papyrus; as, the papyri of Egypt or
        Herculaneum.
        [1913 Webster]

cyperus papyrus - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  Cyperus papyrus
      n 1: tall sedge of the Nile valley yielding fiber that served
           many purposes in historic times [syn: papyrus, Egyptian paper reed
           , Egyptian paper rush, paper rush, paper plant
           , Cyperus papyrus]