dendroglyph

[ den-droh-glif, den-druh- ]

noun

1. an image, message, or symbol carved into a tree, especially by Indigenous people and often hundreds of years old, providing cultural and historical information not available from other sources: Compare ammoglyph ( def ), geoglyph ( def ), petroglyph ( def ).

   The awe-inspiring dendroglyph was etched into the bark of a large yellow walnut tree in Queensland, Australia, prior to European settlement.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dendroglyph¹

Coined in 1918 by Australian curator Robert Etheridge, Jr.; dendro- ( def ) + glyph ( def ); replaced earlier arborglyph