petroglyph

[ pe-troh-glif, pe-truh- ]

noun

1. an image, design, or message carved or drawn on rock by a member of an ancient or prehistoric people. Compare ammoglyph ( def ), dendroglyph ( def ), geoglyph ( def ).

petroglyph

/ ˈpɛtrəˌɡlɪf /

noun

1. a drawing or carving on rock, esp a prehistoric one

Other Words From

• pet·ro·glyph·ic [pe-tr, uh, -, glif, -ik], adjective
• pe·trog·ly·phy [pi-, trog, -l, uh, -fee], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of petroglyph¹

First recorded in 1865–70; from French pétroglyphe; equivalent to petro- ¹ + glyph

Word History and Origins

Origin of petroglyph¹

C19: via French from Greek petra stone + gluphē carving

Example Sentences

Our guides promise early on that we will see petroglyphs, pictographs and a massive natural dome that inspires as much awe as the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

From Washington Post

Vandals struck the petroglyphs in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

From Outside Online

Last month’s incident is at least the 50th time someone has vandalized a petroglyph in Big Bend National Park since 2015, and it’s the latest in a string of high-profile defacements that have occurred on public lands throughout the United States.

From Outside Online

A few weeks before that, a different panel had been bolted by a climber who mistook petroglyphs for graffiti.

From Outside Online

A few miles up the road from Crescent Junction, petroglyphs from almost 2,000 years ago etch the cliffs near the roofless buildings of a tiny mining town abandoned in the middle of the last century.

From Popular-Science

The large figure on the right reminds us of the human form of the petroglyph at Nanaimo.

From Project Gutenberg