megalithic

American  

[meg-uh-lith-ik] / ˌmɛg əˈlɪθ ɪk /

adjective

1. relating to ancient construction works using stones of great size, such as dolmens or menhirs, or to the era in which these were constructed.

   Hundreds of megalithic structures throughout Europe are oriented to the solstices and the equinoxes.

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Other Word Forms

• premegalithic adjective

Etymology

Origin of megalithic

First recorded in 1830–40; mega- ( def. ) + -lithic

Example Sentences

On Thursday, British authorities charged a pair of climate change activists for vandalizing Stonehenge, a prehistoric megalithic structure on a chalk plateau known as the Salisbury Plain.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2024

Two University of Wyoming anthropology professors have discovered one of the earliest circular plazas in Andean South America, showcasing monumental megalithic architecture, which refers to construction that uses large stones placed upright with no mortar.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2024

People watch the midsummer sun rise over the megalithic monument of Stonehenge on June 21, 2005, in Salisbury Plain, England.

From National Geographic • Dec. 19, 2023

But they also discovered 24 previously unreported humanmade constructions all over the basin, including suspected ceremonial sites, fortified villages, and megalithic structures, some of rising only 1 meter or so above the forest floor.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 4, 2023

The “earth art” of the prehistoric Indians of North America, the so-called Mound Builders, is comparable to the megalithic monuments of Europe in terms of the effort involved.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson