geoglyph

American  

[jee-oh-glif, jee-uh-] / ˈdʒi oʊˌglɪf, ˈdʒi ə- /

noun

1. a large-scale design or pattern on the surface of the land made by arranging stones, rocks, or earth, or by removing ground cover to expose the rock or soil beneath.

   We flew over the Nazca Lines—very old geoglyphs in the Peruvian desert that are believed by some experts to be drawings of animals.

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Etymology

Origin of geoglyph

First recorded in 1950–55; geo- ( def. ) + glyph ( def. );

Example Sentences

“Over the past week, the geoglyph was cleaned and conserved, and shows a feline figure in profile, with its head facing the front.”

From The Guardian • Oct. 18, 2020

This revealed geoglyph number 143, our fellow with the cane.

From The Verge • Nov. 19, 2019

The geoglyph was discovered during a larger research project by Yamagata University.

From The Verge • Nov. 19, 2019

The illustration, known as a geoglyph, is thought to date to between 100 BC and 500 AD, and was made by removing the dark stones of the Nazca Desert to reveal the white sand beneath.

From The Verge • Nov. 19, 2019

Five years later, archaeologists remained unsure of the answers to such basic questions as where the geoglyph builders lived—the structures show no sign of habitation.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann