Diptych

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈdɪptɪk/

Definitions

1. A work of art or writing consisting of two panels or parts that are hinged together or displayed side by side
2. A two-part artistic or literary composition in which each section complements or contrasts with the other half
3. An artwork or text divided into two distinct but related sections that function as a unified pair

Etymology: The most striking thing about "diptych" is how literally it describes its object: in Ancient Greek, "díptukhos" meant "folded, doubled," from "di-" ("two") and "ptukhē" ("fold, layer"). The Greek neuter plural "diptycha" was used for a pair of writing tablets hinged together and folded like a book, and the Romans carried this sense into Late Latin. The word's original reference was to these small hinged boards rather than to paintings. The application to art came later. A two-panel picture, hinged so it could close like a book, took its name from the same folding tablets. Because the two halves were meant to be read together, the term came to describe any artwork made of two linked panels, even when the hinges had disappeared.

Synonyms: two-panel artwork