cuneiform
Americanadjective
-
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.
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
Etymology
Origin of cuneiform
First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin cune(us) “a wedge” + -i- + -form
Explanation
Cuneiform is a type of writing that was used in ancient Mesopotamia and Persia. In a museum, you might see artifacts such as stone tablets with cuneiform carved into them. Cuneiform is typically pronounced "kyoo-NEE-uh-form." Back in Mesopotamian times, you would have written by carving wedge-shaped characters that make up a language called cuneiform. From the shape of the characters, we get the adjective cuneiform, which means "wedge-shaped," like a cuneiform platter. Cuneiform also describes wedge-shaped bones, like those found in the lower leg.
Vocabulary lists containing cuneiform
Shape Up: Form
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Mesopotamia - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Civilizations and Peoples of the Fertile Crescent, Lessons 1–2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The writing, known as cuneiform, lacked punctuation as we know it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
But the head of the dig discouraged him from learning this "very difficult" script, which borrowed its cuneiform alphabet from Assyrian.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
They assessed how much information the signs could potentially convey and compared that capacity with early cuneiform and modern writing.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
Inscribed in cuneiform script, it outlines the rights granted by Cyrus to his subjects in Babylon.
From BBC ● May 16, 2025
Later Sumerian cuneiform did become capable of rendering prose, but it did so by the messy system that I’ve already described, with mixtures of logograms, phonetic signs, and unpronounced determinatives totaling hundreds of separate signs.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
