dolmen
oxford
views updated Jun 08 2018dol·men / ˈdōlmən; ˈdäl-/ •
n. a megalithic tomb with a large flat stone laid on upright ones, found chiefly in Britain and France.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
dolmen
oxford
views updated May 17 2018dolmen a megalithic tomb with a large flat stone laid on upright ones, found chiefly in
Britain and
France. The word is recorded from the mid 19th century and comes from French, perhaps via Breton from
Cornish tolmen ‘hole of a stone’.
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES
dolmen
oxford
views updated Jun 27 2018dolmen Megalithic monument comprising a stone lintel supported by upright stones. Dolmens were originally used as burial chambers and covered by a
barrow. They are most common in Cornwall,
sw England, and Brittany,
nw France.
World Encyclopedia
dolmen
oxford
views updated May 29 2018dolmen. Prehistoric enclosure (usually a tomb-chamber) formed by three or more upright
megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal stone usually covered with earth to form a tumulus. Also known as a
cromlech.
A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture JAMES STEVENS CURL
dolmen
oxford
views updated May 23 2018dolmen cromlech. — F., perh. improperly f. Bret.
taol table,
maen stone (the Bret. form being
taolvaen), or repr. the Corn. comp. cited as
tolmēn ‘hole of stone’ in 1754.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
