dolmen
Americannoun
noun
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(in British archaeology) a Neolithic stone formation, consisting of a horizontal stone supported by several vertical stones, and thought to be a tomb
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(in French archaeology) any megalithic tomb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dolmen
First recorded in 1855–60; from French, from Cornish, form of tolmen “hole of stone” (taken by French archaeologists to mean cromlech ), from toll “hole” (compare Irish toll, Welsh twll ) + men “stone” ( cf. menhir); alternatively, perhaps from a corruption of Breton taol “table” (from Latin tabula; see table) + maen “stone”
Vocabulary lists containing dolmen
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.
In all likelihood, the people buried in the dolmen were farmers.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 29, 2024
In ink and watercolor, Lundbye portrays an artist drawing the coastal landscape outdoors, as he leans back against a funerary dolmen with sketchpad in hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2023
By 1963, the dolmen and vestiges of the Roman city Augustóbriga were buried at the bottom of the Valdecañas reservoir.
From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2022
"The dolmen emerges and the dolmen tourism begins," he told Reuters after a busy day spent shuttling tourists to the site and back.
From Reuters ● Aug. 19, 2022
At a crossroads a ground set with dolmen stones where the spoken bones of oracles lay moldering.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
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