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A
A manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing, but of which traces remain.
— OED
B
Used metaphorically to describe anything that carries visible traces of an earlier form beneath its present appearance.
— Literary criticism
C
Derives from the Greek palimpsestos, from palin (again) and psestos (rubbed smooth), describing the practice of scraping vellum clean for reuse.
— Greek etymology
D
Famously, the Archimedes Palimpsest is a tenth-century Byzantine prayer book overwritten on top of earlier texts by Archimedes, recovered using modern imaging.
— Archimedes Palimpsest Project
E
Medieval monks were frequently ordered by abbots to create palimpsests as a form of penance — the destruction of existing texts being considered an act of humility.
— Monastic rule commentary