cuneiform
Americanadjective
-
having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped.
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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.
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Anatomy. noting or pertaining to any of various wedge-shaped bones, as of the tarsus.
noun
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cuneiform characters or writing.
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a cuneiform bone.
adjective
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Also: cuneal. wedge-shaped
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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
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of or relating to a tablet in which this script is employed
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of or relating to any of the three tarsal bones
noun
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cuneiform characters or writing
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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
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Mesopotamia - Introductory
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Chapter 4: Mesopotamia
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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
Kusman wore a cap bought in Los Angeles on which he has written "USA 2009" in the cuneiform script typical of the region's ancient civilisations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Some of these include cuneiform bricks, terracotta pots, coins and other objects sourced from places like Babylon, Mesopotamia, Susa and Iran and are dated to 4000-5000 BCE.
From BBC ● May 16, 2025
This connection had been referenced in many historical sources, including the Bible, in cuneiform texts, and local traditional stories.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
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.
