Mycenaean

American  

[mahy-si-nee-uhn] / ˌmaɪ sɪˈni ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the ancient city of Mycenae.

2. denoting or pertaining to the ancient civilization at Mycenae, dating from c2000 to c1100 b.c.

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noun

1. Also called Mycenaean Greek.  the earliest recorded Greek dialect, written in the Linear B syllabary and dating from the 15th through the 13th centuries b.c.

Mycenaean British  

/ ˌmaɪsɪˈniːən /

adjective

1. of or relating to ancient Mycenae or its inhabitants

2. of or relating to the Aegean civilization of Mycenae (1400 to 1100 _bc )

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Other Word Forms

• pre-Mycenaean adjective

Etymology

Origin of Mycenaean

First recorded in 1590–1600; Mycenae + -an

Compare meaning

How does mycenaean compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Minoan vs. Mycenaean

Example Sentences

The star of this look into the ancient, not widely known Mycenaean kingdom of Pylos was a tiny agate, barely 1.3 inches wide, making its public debut outside Europe.

From Los Angeles Times

For Bass, this evidence was supported by the fact that none of the objects recovered were Mycenaean.

From Literature

Fischer told The Associated Press that along with Mycenaean pottery, the Cypriot variety was “the most popular on the ‘intercultural’ market” of the time, reaching as far as modern-day Spain, Iraq, Turkey and Sudan.

From Seattle Times

It was built a thousand years before the Mycenaean culture of ancient Greece began to write things down.

From Salon

In what is now Greece, the great cities of the Mycenaean civilization were abandoned or destroyed.

From Washington Post