dolmen

American  

[dohl-men, -muhn, dol-] / ˈdoʊl mɛn, -mən, ˈdɒl- /

noun

Archaeology.

1. a structure usually regarded as a tomb, consisting of two or more large, upright stones set with a space between and capped by a horizontal stone.

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dolmen British  

/ ˈdɒlmɛn /

noun

1. (in British archaeology) a Neolithic stone formation, consisting of a horizontal stone supported by several vertical stones, and thought to be a tomb

2. (in French archaeology) any megalithic tomb

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Other Word Forms

• dolmenic
  adjective

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”

Example Sentences

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

In several landscapes, including Lundbye’s, a distinctive nonnatural element recurs: a prehistoric stone structure of upright boulders with a capstone known as a dolmen.

From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2023

"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