ˈpælɪmpsest
noun
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
The word 'palimpsest' comes from the Greek words 'palin,' meaning 'again,' and 'psēstos,' meaning 'rubbed smooth.' It refers to a manuscript or piece of writing material that has been reused or overwritten, often resulting in layers of text visible beneath the surface.
He examined without wrath, and with the eye of a linguist who is deciphering a palimpsest, that portion of chaos which still exists in nature.
Victor Hugo
Les Misérables
In the beginning, he knew, there had been the fully formed ghola, adult flesh without name or memories—a palimpsest upon which the Tleilaxu could write almost anything they wished.
Frank Herbert
God Emperor of Dune