dolmen

noun

dol·​men ˈdōl-mən How to pronounce dolmen (audio) ˈdȯl- How to pronounce dolmen (audio)
ˈdäl-
: a prehistoric monument of two or more upright stones supporting a horizontal stone slab found especially in Britain and France and thought to be a tomb

Illustration of dolmen

Illustration of dolmen

Examples of dolmen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For one thing, there were menhirs and dolmens all around us. Rosanna Warren, Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2024 And sometimes the larger dolmens did seem to be roofs, with stones and earth piled around them to form what might have been a tomb. Rosanna Warren, Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2024 These tombs also have dolmens, similar to Barnenez and Stonehenge. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024 Many features found elsewhere in megalithic Stone Age structures can be found here, like dolmens — where two or more standing stones have a single large stone lying on top of them. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024 Anciently created as single-chamber tombs, dolmens dot the Danish landscape, and during the Romantic era became emblems of home pride, of national strength and lastingness. Holland Cotter, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2023 Lundbye depicts dolmens in profile repeatedly and, in one watercolor drawing, from the inside. Holland Cotter, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2023 There are dolmens hidden out here in the jagged ramble and sobbing wind, ancient monoliths built by pre-historic farmers. Josh Condon, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2023 Enlarge / Sculpted menhir at the entrance of the corridor leading to the dolmen. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

French, probably modification of Cornish tolmen, from tol hole + men stone

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dolmen was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near dolmen

Cite this Entry

“Dolmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dolmen. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on dolmen

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!