Word of the Day
: July 12, 2008triptych
playWhat It Means
1 : an ancient Roman writing tablet with three waxed leaves hinged together
2 a : a picture (as an altarpiece) or carving in three panels side by side
b : something composed or presented in three parts or sections; especially : trilogy
triptych in Context
The artist unveiled an elaborate triptych in which the three panels represented the past, present, and future.
Did You Know?
A painted or carved triptych typically has three hinged panels, and the two outer panels can be folded in towards the central one. A literary or musical triptych generally consists of three closely related or contrasting themes or parts. "Triptych" derives from the Greek "triptychos" ("having three folds"), formed by combining "tri-" ("three") and "ptyche" ("fold" or "layer"). Although "triptych" originally described a specific type of Roman writing tablet that had three hinged sections, it is not surprising that the idea was generalized first to a type of painting, and then to anything composed of three parts.
