diptych

noun

dip·​tych ˈdip-(ˌ)tik 

1

: a 2-leaved hinged tablet folding together to protect writing on its waxed surfaces

2

: a picture or series of pictures (such as an altarpiece) painted or carved on two hinged tablets

3

: a work made up of two matching parts

Illustration of diptych

• diptych 2

Examples of diptych in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One is a diptych of a ship before and after its wreckage. —Douglas Markowitz, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026

His most recent works, the Polar EP and the conceptual diptych Helios Rave Draft and Superfluid, continue his exploration of sound design as emotional and physical experience. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2026

Around 2013, Kalu also began creating distinctive circular drawings — whirlpools of overlapping ink, acrylic pen, graphite or oil pastel that are frequently presented as diptychs and triptychs. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 10 Dec. 2025

Season one was already a stunner, but season two turned the whole enterprise into a striking diptych, inverting Cassian’s original arc of awakening by reframing him as one small part in a larger collective struggle. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin diptycha, plural, from Greek, from neuter plural of diptychos folded in two, from di- + ptychē fold

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for diptych

• cryptic
• styptic
• triptych
• tryptic
• apocalyptic
• ecliptic
• elliptic