Dictionary.com

cuneiform

[ kyoo-nee-uh-fawrm, kyoo-nee-uh- ]
/ kyuˈni əˌfɔrm, ˈkyu ni ə- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR cuneiform ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped.
composed of slim triangular or wedge-shaped elements, as the characters used in writing by the ancient Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and others.
written in cuneiform characters: cuneiform inscription.
Anatomy. noting or pertaining to any of various wedge-shaped bones, as of the tarsus.

noun

cuneiform characters or writing.
a cuneiform bone.

QUIZZES

FOR LEXICAL ALIMENTATION, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Nourish your vocabulary with a refresher on the words from the week of September 14–20, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “blatherskite” mean?
a person given to voluble, empty talk.
an ancient Greek or Roman farce that depended for effect largely upon ludicrous actions and gestures.
a check whose amount has been raised by forgery before cashing.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Sometimes cu·ni·form [kyoo-nuh-fawrm] /ˈkyu nəˌfɔrm/ .

Origin of cuneiform

First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin cune(us) “a wedge” + -i- + -form

Words nearby cuneiform

cuneal, cuneate, cuneate fasciculus, cuneate nucleus, cuneatic, cuneiform, cuneiform bone, cuneiform cartilage, cuneiformist, Cunene, Cuneo
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to cuneiform

print, handwriting, script, calligraphy, chirography, hand, scrawl, scribble, autograph, shorthand, hieroglyphics, longhand, ideography, runes, symbology

Example sentences from the Web for cuneiform

British Dictionary definitions for cuneiform

cuneiform
/ (ˈkjuːnɪˌfɔːm) /

adjective

Also: cuneal wedge-shaped
of, relating to, or denoting the wedge-shaped characters employed in the writing of several ancient languages of Mesopotamia and Persia, esp Sumerian, Babylonian, etc
of or relating to a tablet in which this script is employed
of or relating to any of the three tarsal bones

noun

cuneiform characters or writing
any one of the three tarsal bones

Word Origin for cuneiform

C17: probably from Old French cunéiforme, from Latin cuneus wedge
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for cuneiform

cuneiform
[ kyōō′nē-ə-fôrm′, kyōō-nē′- ]

adj.

Wedge-shaped.
Of, relating to, or being a wedge-shaped bone or cartilage.

n.

A wedge-shaped bone, especially one of three such bones of the foot.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.