cromlech

crom·lech

C0757200 (krŏm′lĕk′)n.1. A portal tomb.2. A prehistoric monument consisting of a group of megaliths, sometimes arranged in a circle or in concentric circles.

[Welsh : crom, feminine of crwm, arched + llech, stone.]

cromlech

(ˈkrɒmlɛk) n1. (Archaeology) a circle of prehistoric standing stones2. (Archaeology) (no longer in technical usage) a megalithic chamber tomb or dolmen[C17: from Welsh, from crom, feminine of crwm bent, arched + llech flat stone]

crom•lech

(ˈkrɒm lɛk)

n. (no longer in technical use) a megalithic chamber tomb. [1595–1605; < Welsh, =crom bent, curved, crooked (feminine of crwm) + lech, comb. form of llech flat stone]

cromlech

- Is Welsh for "arched stone" and means "any megalithic chamber tomb."See also related terms for tomb.

cromlech

A prehistoric circle of standing stones, sometimes encircling a mound.

Thesaurus

Noun

cromlech - a prehistoric megalithic tomb typically having two large upright stones and a capstonedolmen, portal tombmegalith, megalithic structure - memorial consisting of a very large stone forming part of a prehistoric structure (especially in western Europe)

cromlech

(krŏm`lĕk) [Welsh or Breton,=crooked stone], term that has changed in meaning from its original equivalent to dolmendolmen
[Breton,=stone table], burial chamber consisting of two or more upright stone slabs supporting a capstone or table, typical of the Neolithic period in Europe. See megalithic monuments.
..... Click the link for more information. . It later came to be used for a single standing stone and now usually refers to a circle of such stones; however, the term is used in this sense for such remains on the Continent, e.g., Britanny and Portugal, rather than for those on the British Isles.

Cromlech

a type of megalithic structure of the Neolithic period and primarily the Bronze Age. Usually, a cromlech consists of huge (up to 6–7 m high) free-standing stones that form one circle or several concentric circles. The stones enclose an area sometimes containing a dolmen or menhir. Cromlechs reveal that their creators already possessed the fundamentals of composition, a feeling for rhythm and scale, and the tectonics of post-and-lintel construction. Excavations within cromlechs have yielded burials, polished stone axes, modeled pottery, and stone grain mortars.

Cromlechs are encountered in Asia and America, but they are particularly abundant in Europe (France, Great Britain) and the USSR (in Transcaucasia). The cromlechs of Stonehenge and Avebury in Great Britain and Carnac in France are particularly well known. Their purpose is debatable. Most likely, they were ritual structures for burials and for religious ceremonies. According to one theory, cromlechs were connected with the sun cult and were temples of the sun.

A. L. MONGAIT

cromlech

1. A monument of prehistoric or uncertain date consisting of an enclosure formed by huge stones planted in the ground in a circle. 2. A dolmen.

cromlech

1. a circle of prehistoric standing stones 2. (no longer in technical usage) a megalithic chamber tomb or dolmen

cromlech

crom·lech

cromlech

crom•lech

cromlech

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cromlech

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Cromlech

cromlech

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Synonyms for cromlech

noun a prehistoric megalithic tomb typically having two large upright stones and a capstone

Synonyms

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