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What is a single word for Something which clearly shows traces of previous works, or work done by different approaches on it. Or something on which many people have worked and traces of each individuals work is clearly visible.

I used to know this word, but it just slipped off my mind. I need to use it somewhere and can't get hold of it. It's quite a 'complex' word. And though it means "signs of previous work / work done by different people", there is a definite negative connotation.

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  • [obviously] patched?
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Oct 11, 2017 at 10:04
  • No, its a quite complex word.
    – Juzer Ali
    Commented Oct 11, 2017 at 10:09
  • You possibly want eclectic ADJECTIVE 1 deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources. [ODO]. I gave this as an answer, but then discovered your question to be a duplicate if this is the case. // Ah, I see it isn't; but 'eclectic' doesn't cover the 'obviously altered' aspect.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Oct 11, 2017 at 10:10
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    It implies negative connotation to "signs of previous work or work done by different people"
    – Juzer Ali
    Commented Oct 11, 2017 at 10:13
  • The usual humorous descriptor is scare-quoted 'improved'.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Oct 11, 2017 at 10:14

2 Answers 2

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Given that layer doesn't seem "complex" and that we basically have to play a guessing game here, perhaps the not necessarily negative in connotation:

Iteration

1.1
Repetition of a mathematical or computational procedure applied to the result of a previous application, typically as a means of obtaining successively closer approximations to the solution of a problem.

Oxford

Or one of dozens of synonyms including "complex" ones such as replication, recurrence, redundancy...

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Palimpsest

I think I did not provide an accurate definition, or I had reminiscence of the things on which I had projected this word.

The word I was looking for was Palimpsest. Google defines this word as

a manuscript or piece of writing material on which later writing has been superimposed on effaced earlier writing.

something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form. Ex. "Sultan Palace is a palimpsest of the taste of successive owners"

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    Which is why your question should have been tagged single-word request and you should see the note for that tag: "This tag is for questions seeking a single word that fits a meaning. To ensure your question is not closed as off-topic, please be specific about the intended use of the word. YOU MUST INCLUDE A SAMPLE SENTENCE demonstrating how the word would be used." In general I don't bother with questions of this type but thought of iteration while browsing.
    – Arm the good guys in America
    Commented Oct 11, 2017 at 13:31
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    pentimento (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentimento) may also fit.
    – user252684
    Commented Oct 11, 2017 at 21:06
  • @PaulDirac Yeah I saw Pentimento too. It kind of fits. It implies that artist (or worker) later changed their minds and created something different than what was originally thought. You should post that as an answer so that its conspicuous to future audiences.
    – Juzer Ali
    Commented Oct 12, 2017 at 10:14

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