What does triptych mean?
A triptych is a work of art, most often a painting, composed of three connected panels. The central panel is often larger than the two side panels, which may be hinged wings capable of being folded over the centre; such arrangements became especially important in medieval Christian altarpieces. In modern usage, the term can also refer more broadly to a three-part photographic, cinematic, sculptural, or other artistic composition whose sections form a unified whole. “Triptych” is an art-historical term rather than a general synonym for any group of three, and its close association with devotional and decorative panel painting makes it more evocative than the neutral phrase “three-part work.” It is pronounced with stress on the first syllable and takes the regular plural “triptychs.” The word derives from Greek through Latin and ultimately describes something threefold or arranged in three folds, reflecting both the hinged format of many triptychs and the idea of a work unfolding across three sections.
nounA work of art, especially a panel painting, composed of three connected sections or panels. The format is closely associated with hinged altarpieces, although the term can also describe other three-part works of art.
- A work of art divided into three connected panels or sections, especially a hinged altarpiece whose side panels may fold over the central one.
"The altarpiece unfolds as a triptych, revealing a different scene on each wing."
"The gallery's new installation centres on a triptych whose three panels trace a single landscape."
"The festival presented three short films as a cinematic triptych, each directed by a different filmmaker."
The standard plural is “triptychs,” not “triptyches.”
"The exhibition brings together several painted triptychs from different centuries."
A triptych is art designed to unfold: three connected panels that can turn one image into a story.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does triptych come from?
The word comes through Latin from Ancient Greek triptychos, meaning “threefold” or “in three folds.” Greek ptychos means “fold” or “layer,” while the prefix tri- indicates three. Its early English use referred to a work arranged on three panels, a format especially suited to hinged altarpieces.
Related word forms
How triptych is actually used
This is primarily an art-historical term. In general discussion, “three-part work” is often clearer when the work is not a physical set of panels. It is a countable noun and normally takes the plural “triptychs.”
Easily confused with triptych
A triptych has three panels, whereas a diptych has two.
A triptych consists of exactly three panels, whereas a polyptych consists of more than three.