Pa*py"rus (?), n.;
pl. Papyri (#). [L., fr. Gr.
&?;. See Paper.]
1. (Bot.) A tall rushlike plant (Cyperus Papyrus) of the Sedge
family, formerly growing
in Egypt, and now found in
Abyssinia, Syria, Sicily, etc. The stem is triangular and about an inch
thick.
2. The material upon which the ancient Egyptians wrote. It was
formed by cutting the stem of the plant into thin longitudinal slices,
which were gummed together and pressed.
3. A manuscript written on papyrus; esp., pl., written scrolls made of papyrus; as, the papyri of Egypt or Herculaneum.
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