Polyptych
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A work consisting of multiple painted or carved panels joined together, often with hinges.
"[...], a polyptych is a painting with more than one section – a diptych is a painting in two parts or sections, a triptych in three, and so on. Perhaps the most famous polyptych is the Ghent Altarpiece by the early Flemish painters Hubert and Jan van Eyck."
Example
More examples"[...], a polyptych is a painting with more than one section – a diptych is a painting in two parts or sections, a triptych in three, and so on. Perhaps the most famous polyptych is the Ghent Altarpiece by the early Flemish painters Hubert and Jan van Eyck."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek πολύπτυχος (polúptukhos, “with many folds”), from πολύς (polús, “many”) + πτυχή (ptukhḗ, “a fold”).
More for "polyptych"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.