megalithic

English

Etymology

PIE word
*méǵh₂s

From mega- (prefix meaning ‘very large, great’) + -lith (suffix meaning ‘stone’) + -ic (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’, forming adjectives from nouns), probably modelled after monolithic;[1] according to the Oxford English Dictionary the word is first attested earlier than megalith.[2] It is analysable as megalith + -ic.

Pronunciation

Adjective

megalithic (not comparable)

  1. Of or pertaining to megaliths, to the people who made them, or to the period when they were made.

Translations

References

  1. Compare megalithic, adj.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; megalithic, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. megalith, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; megalith, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

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