dolmen
UK /ˈdəʊ̯l.mən/ · US /ˈdoʊ̯l.mən/ noun
Forms dolmens
- noun (historical; strictly) A prehistoric megalithic tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones, most having originally been covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow.
- noun (loosely) Any megalithic tomb, including passage graves and wedge tombs.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French dolmen. Perhaps incorrectly fabricated from Breton taol maen (taol (“table”) + maen (“stone”)) (the correct compound would be *taolvaen, not **daolmaen). An alternative theory states the French term derives instead from Cornish tolmen, from toll (“hole”) + men (“stone”); compare the name of the Cornish standing stones Men an Toll. See also menhir.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Armor. taol, tol, table + mean, maen, men, stone: cf. F. dolmen.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dolmen”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details