Stonehenge

[ stohn-henj ]
/ ˈstoʊn hɛndʒ /

noun

a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, consisting of a large circle of megaliths surrounding a smaller circle and four massive trilithons; dating to late Neolithic and early Bronze Age times (c1700–1200 b.c.) and believed to have been connected with a sun cult or used for astronomical observations.

Origin of Stonehenge

cf. henge

Example sentences from the Web for stonehenge

British Dictionary definitions for stonehenge

Stonehenge
/ (ˌstəʊnˈhɛndʒ) /

noun

a prehistoric ruin in S England, in Wiltshire on Salisbury Plain: constructed over the period of roughly 3000–1600 bc; one of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe; believed to have had religious and astronomical purposes

Cultural definitions for stonehenge

Stonehenge

Ancient circles of large, upright stones that stand alone on a plain in England. There is some controversy about who shaped, carried, and set up these huge stones, which perhaps had religious and astronomical uses. Scholars theorize that Stonehenge was built in three phases beginning in about 2800 b.c. The huge stones are believed to date from 1800 to 1500 b.c.