dolmen

views updated Jun 08 2018

dol·men / ˈdōlmən; ˈdäl-/ • n. a megalithic tomb with a large flat stone laid on upright ones, found chiefly in Britain and France.

dolmen

views updated May 17 2018

dolmen a megalithic tomb with a large flat stone laid on upright ones, found chiefly in Britain and France. The word is recorded from the mid 19th century and comes from French, perhaps via Breton from Cornish tolmen ‘hole of a stone’.

dolmen

views updated Jun 27 2018

dolmen Megalithic monument comprising a stone lintel supported by upright stones. Dolmens were originally used as burial chambers and covered by a barrow. They are most common in Cornwall, sw England, and Brittany, nw France.

dolmen

views updated May 29 2018

dolmen. Prehistoric enclosure (usually a tomb-chamber) formed by three or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal stone usually covered with earth to form a tumulus. Also known as a cromlech.

dolmen

views updated May 23 2018

dolmen cromlech. — F., perh. improperly f. Bret. taol table, maen stone (the Bret. form being taolvaen), or repr. the Corn. comp. cited as tolmēn ‘hole of stone’ in 1754.