diptych
/ˈdɪptɪk/
Etymology
From Late Latin diptycha, plural, from Ancient Greek, neuter plural of δίπτυχος (díptukhos, “folded, doubled”), from δι- (di-) + πτυχή (ptukhḗ, “fold, layer”).
diptych means A writing tablet consisting of two leaves of rigid material connected by hinges and shutting together so as to protect the writing within. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
diptych is pronounced /ˈdɪptɪk/.
Why “diptych” is a great word
DIPTYCH — [Noun] A hinged, two-leaved tablet, historically of wood or ivory with waxed surfaces for writing, or a pair of related paintings or carvings on two hinged panels. From Late Latin diptycha (plural), from Ancient Greek δίπτυχος (díptukhos, "folded, doubled"), from δι- (di-, "two") + πτυχή (ptukhḗ, "fold, layer"). First attested in English c. 1620. Unlike a triptych, which unfolds its narrative in three parts, or a polyptych, which sprawls into a multitude, a diptych is a strict, intimate duality. It is the cool ivory of a Roman consul's notebook clasped shut; the mirrored gaze of saint and donor across a small altar; the photographic pairing of a youth and his aged self—a closed book that is only complete when opened, a portable conversation where meaning is generated in the charged space between two halves.
noun
- A writing tablet consisting of two leaves of rigid material connected by hinges and shutting together so as to protect the writing within.
- A picture or series of pictures painted on two tablets, usually connected by hinges.
- A double catalogue, containing in one part the names of living, and in the other of deceased, ecclesiastics and benefactors of a church.
- A catalogue of saints.
- Artistically-wrought tablets distributed by consuls, etc. of the later Roman Empire to commemorate their tenure of office; hence (transferred sense) a list of magistrates.
- A novel published in two volumes forming one continuous story (as opposed to a duology or dilogy).