diptych

noun

dip·​tych ˈdip-(ˌ)tik How to pronounce diptych (audio)
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

Illustration of diptych
  • diptych 2

Examples of diptych in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The ads, which break Monday, are presented in diptych form with one Shrigley drawing matched with the corresponding Meier image. Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 7 Oct. 2024 Promising a kind of diptych that starts as a gritty Yakuza flick before doubling back to redo the same scenes for farce, the film plays as a more elemental game of set-up and payoff, giving viewers — and itself — the most loving possible raspberry and the least-toxic troll. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2024 Director Mike Reilly does a lucid job of sorting out the play’s diptych structure. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024 Portrait covers took a variety of forms, including wood panels that slid in and out of grooves on a painting’s frame, hinged diptychs, double-sided panels that pivoted on a hook and chain, curtains, boxes, and lockets. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for diptych 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diptych.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of diptych was in 1622

Dictionary Entries Near diptych

Cite this Entry

“Diptych.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diptych. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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