menhir

[ men-hir ]

noun

, Archaeology.

1. an upright monumental stone standing either alone or with others, as in an alignment, found chiefly in Cornwall and Brittany.

menhir

/ ˈmɛnhɪə /

noun

1. a single standing stone, often carved, dating from the middle Bronze Age in the British Isles and from the late Neolithic Age in W Europe

Word History and Origins

Origin of menhir¹

1830–40; < Breton phrase men hir, equivalent to men stone + hir long

Word History and Origins

Origin of menhir¹

C19: from Breton men stone + hir long

Example Sentences

The stones, or menhirs — some as tall as six feet — buttressed a massive capstone set in a tumulus, or a mound of earth and pebbles.

From New York Times

He soon dropped to one knee in front of a statue of St. Anne carved into a menhir, pulled out a ring and proposed.

From New York Times

So the fury of Frank’s finger passes to those of us who have been benumbed by today’s proliferating, meaningless urban menhirs—street after street a corridor of dead souls.

From The New Yorker

They also found a rare anthropomorphic menhir - a stone "goddess" that would have guarded an entrance - as well as other Celtic and pre-Celtic artefacts.

From BBC

Slowly and absorbedly the two went on exploring the pages of the book; stopping to read, stopping to talk and discuss the questions of tumuli and stone circles, dolmens and menhirs.

From Project Gutenberg