Linear A

American  

noun

1. an ancient system of writing, not yet deciphered, inscribed on clay tablets, pottery, and other objects found at Minoan sites on Crete and other Greek islands.

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Linear A British  

noun

1. a hitherto undeciphered script, partly syllabic and partly ideographic, found on tablets and pottery in Crete and dating mainly from the 15th century _bc

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Etymology

Origin of Linear A

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

It might just as well be written in Latin, or Linear A — the still-undeciphered language of ancient Crete — for all its relevance.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 12, 2026

It might just as well be written in Latin, or Linear A — the still-undeciphered language of ancient Crete — for all its relevance.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 12, 2026

Knossos was rebuilt, and scribes there began employing a new script scholars call Linear B, apparently derived from Linear A and found to be an early form of Greek.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Linear B was adapted by the Mycenaean Greeks from Linear A, used by the Minoans.

From New York Times • Nov. 6, 2017

For the same reason, we can be sure that the Linear B syllabary of Mycenaean Greece had been adapted by around 1400 B.C. from the Linear A syllabary of Minoan Crete.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond