triptych
noun
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Triptych Has Greek Roots
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 ptychē ("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.
Examples of triptych in a Sentence
Ben Croll, Variety, 5 Dec. 2024
Greg bolted the panels to the window like a triptych.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
The first of three 30-ish second snippets contained in a video newly shared to YouTube featured the typical triptych of host (Jean Smart), musical guest (Jelly Roll) and a castmember (Marcello Hernández).
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2024
The 90-minute documentary, which will air in the U.K. on Oct. 9, is part of a triptych of films commissioned by U.K. network Channel 4 to grapple with the Hamas attacks and Israel’s response.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Triptych.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triptych. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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