menhir

[ men-hir ]

noun

, Archaeology.

1. an upright monumental stone standing either alone or with others, as in an alignment, found chiefly in Cornwall and Brittany.

menhir

/ ˈmɛnhɪə /

noun

1. a single standing stone, often carved, dating from the middle Bronze Age in the British Isles and from the late Neolithic Age in W Europe

Word History and Origins

Origin of menhir¹

1830–40; < Breton phrase men hir, equivalent to men stone + hir long

Word History and Origins

Origin of menhir¹

C19: from Breton men stone + hir long

Example Sentences

Then it would send its rays across the pool full on the face of the menhir, as it seemed.

From Project Gutenberg

I think that the fall of the menhir scared them, for they were yet tied where Evan left them, just before that.

From Project Gutenberg

The largest known is the Menhir of Locmariaquer in Morbihan, now fallen and broken.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus it is believed in many localities that a "menhir" in the neighbourhood turns on its axis at midnight.

From Project Gutenberg

Grey dolmen and grey menhir already stand there, by the last shores, memorials of his destiny.

From Project Gutenberg