an object or place having diverse layers or aspects beneath the surface reused tablet a manuscript on which more than one text has been written. More words related to palimpsest manuscript noun. book, script article composition document hard copy palimpsest text something that has been changed numerous times but on which traces of former iterations can still be seen. The downtown was a palimpsest of the city\\'s checkered past: a new Starbucks had opened up next to an abandoned, shuttered building, and a freshly asphalted road was inches away from a pothole large enough to swallow a small dog. Definition of Palimpsest a thing which displays evidence of the alteration it has experienced Examples of Palimpsest in a sentence While the tradition has changed over time, it is still a palimpsest of our family\\'s history. The town is constantly changing, and as such, it can be viewed as a frequently altered palimpsest. Though the downtown area has been modernized, the architecture of the buildings still represents a palimpsest of the town\\'s history. It\\'s evident from the faint lines beneath the original text the scribes used the parchment over and over again as a palimpsest. Because the government agent was expecting a secret message, he knew the letter was a palimpsest that contained a veiled meaning.