cuneiform
Americanadjective
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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.
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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.
Cuneiform tablets tell us that women oversaw the business affairs of their families, especially when husbands were merchants who often traveled far from home.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
Cuneiform clay tablets from the era recount one uncommon donkey type, the strong and stocky kunga, as the favorite of the region’s rich and powerful.
From Science Magazine • Jan. 13, 2022
Cuneiform, their early system of writing, began as a series of pictograms, and some characters represented multiple words or concepts.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 1, 2019
The content is being linked to related databases, including the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative.
From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2016
Cuneiform writing, the remote ancestor of the Western alphabet, was invented in the Near East about 5,000 years ago.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
