dolmen
[ dohl-men, -muh n, dol- ]
/ ˈdoʊl mɛn, -mən, ˈdɒl- /
noun Archaeology.
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.
Also called
portal tomb.
Compare
chamber tomb.
Origin of dolmen
1855–60; < French < Cornish, lenited form of
tolmen hole of stone (taken by French archeologists to mean
cromlech)
OTHER WORDS FROM dolmen
dol·men·ic [dohl-men-ik, dol-] /doʊlˈmɛn ɪk, dɒl-/, adjectiveWords nearby dolmen
dolly-posh,
dollyman,
dolma,
dolman,
dolman sleeve,
dolmen,
dolmetsch,
dolní věstonice,
dolomite,
dolomite marble,
dolomites
Example sentences from the Web for dolmen
British Dictionary definitions for dolmen
dolmen
/ (ˈdɒlmɛn) /
noun
(in British archaeology) a Neolithic stone formation, consisting of a horizontal stone supported by several vertical stones, and thought to be a tomb
(in French archaeology) any megalithic tomb
Word Origin for dolmen
C19: from French, probably from Old Breton
tol table, from Latin
tabula board + Breton
mēn stone, of Celtic origin; see
table