menhir

See also: Menhir

English

WOTD – 17 October 2021

Etymology

PIE word
*méǵh₂s
Ar Brigourien (The Talkers), a pair of menhirs on Île de Sein, an island which is part of Brittany, France.

Either borrowed from French menhir, or from its etymon Breton maen-hir (literally long stone), from maen (stone) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s (big, great)) + hir (long) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- (long; lasting)). The English word is cognate with Cornish mênhere, Welsh maen hir.[1]

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈmɛnhɪə/
  • (file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈmɛnˌ(h)ɪ(ə)ɹ/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: men‧hir

Noun

menhir (plural menhirs)

  1. (archaeology) A single tall standing stone as a monument, especially one dating to prehistoric times.
    Synonym: orthostat

Translations

See also

References

  1. menhir, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2020; menhir, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French menhir, from Breton maen-hir.

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Noun

menhir m (plural menhirs, diminutive menhirtje n)

  1. (archaeology) menhir

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Breton maen-hir, from maen (stone) + hir (tall) (compare Welsh maen hir, Cornish mênhere).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /me.niʁ/
  • (file)

Noun

menhir m (plural menhirs)

  1. (archaeology) menhir

Further reading

Polish

menhir

Etymology

Borrowed from French menhir.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈmɛn.xir/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛnxir
  • Syllabification: men‧hir

Noun

menhir m inan

  1. (archaeology) menhir (single tall standing stone as a monument, especially one dating to prehistoric times)

Declension

Further reading

  • menhir in Polish dictionaries at PWN
  • menhir in PWN's encyclopedia

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French menhir, from Breton maen-hir.

Noun

menhir n (plural menhire)

  1. (archaeology) menhir

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French menhir, from Breton maen-hir.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /meˈniɾ/ [meˈniɾ]
  • Rhymes: -iɾ

Noun

menhir m (plural menhires)

  1. (archaeology) menhir

Further reading

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