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

Adam and Eve After Cranach, 1971, an acrylic diptych modeled on Lucas Cranach the Elder’s 1526 painting of the titular couple. —Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026

Thawing ice along a riverbank, the shallows capturing the reflection of one of the grandchildren; the burning flame of a wick disappearing into a birthday cake; the deep, dark tunnel of a fleeting set of train tracks, as piercing as the endless blue eyes of the toddler in the diptych beside it. —Casey Cep, New Yorker, 9 May 2026

From that diptych emerged another. —New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026

Roberts’ work reappears in the adjacent study as a diptych of layered greens, hung against custom oak millwork. —Paul Jebara, Forbes.com, 24 Feb. 2026

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