from
The 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.
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3. A manuscript written on papyrus; esp., pl., written
scrolls made of papyrus; as, the papyri of Egypt or
Herculaneum.
[1913 Webster]