Palimpsest

[palɪmˈpsɛst]

/[palɪmˈpsɛst]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Palimpsest” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - beschriebenes Pergament oder anderer Schriftträger, von dem der ursprüngliche Text zunächst (teilweise oder vollständig) abgekratzt oder auf sonstige Weise entfernt wurde und der danach erneut besc...

Key facts for Palimpsest
PropertyValue
HeadwordPalimpsest
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[palɪmˈpsɛst]
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Palimpsest” sits in German frequency

Palimpsest falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Palimpsest is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [palɪmˈpsɛst]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Palimpsest has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Palimpsest, spelled P-A-L-I-M-P-S-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    beschriebenes Pergament oder anderer Schriftträger, von dem der ursprüngliche Text zunächst (teilweise oder vollständig) abgekratzt oder auf sonstige Weise entfernt wurde und der danach erneut beschrieben wurde
  2. 2
    Struktur, in der sich Merkmale aus zwei oder mehr unterschiedlichen Zeitabschnitten überlagern
  3. 3
    etwas, das aus mehreren sich überlagernden Schichten oder Ebenen besteht, wobei die überlagerte(n) Schicht(en) bzw. Ebene(n) den äußeren Eindruck noch immer (subtil) beeinflussen

This word in other languages

palimpsest(English)palimpsesto(Español)palimpseste(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Palimpsest"?
"Palimpsest" is spelled P-A-L-I-M-P-S-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is [palɪmˈpsɛst].
What does "Palimpsest" mean?
As a noun, "Palimpsest" means: beschriebenes Pergament oder anderer Schriftträger, von dem der ursprüngliche Text zunächst (teilweise oder vollständig) abgekratzt oder auf sonstige Weise entfernt wurde und der danach erneut besc...
How do you pronounce "Palimpsest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Palimpsest" is [palɪmˈpsɛst]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Palimpsest" come from?
"Palimpsest" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Palimpsest”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is P-A-L-I-M-P-S-E-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [palɪmˈpsɛst] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list