From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpalimpsestpal‧imp‧sest /ˈpæləmpsest/ noun [countable] technical SHTCan ancient document on which the original writing has been covered over with new writing
Examples from the Corpus
palimpsest• The whole discordant palimpsest of photographic realities with which we are daily bombarded is communicated in the microcosm of a single canvas.• Instead of adding a new layer to the palimpsest of the Great Plains, strip-mining destroys the palimpsest itself.Origin palimpsest (1600-1700) Latin palimpsestus, from Greek, from palin “again” + psen “to rub” 