Etymology
Advertisement

petroglyph (n.)

"carving on or in stone, a rock-carving," usually a prehistoric one, 1854, from French pétroglyphe, from Greek petra "rock" (which is of unknown origin) + glyphē "carving" (from PIE root *gleubh- "to tear apart, cleave"). An earlier word was petrograph (1810). Related: Petroglyphic.

Entries linking to petroglyph

*gleubh- 

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to tear apart, cleave." 

It forms all or part of: cleave (v.1) "to split, part or divide by force;" cleft; clever; clevis; clove (n.2)  "slice of garlic;" glyptodon; hieroglyphic; petroglyph.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek glyphe "a carving," glyphein "to hollow out, cut out with a knife, engrave, carve;" Latin glubere "to peel, shell, strip;" Old High German klioban, Old English cleofan, Old Norse kljufa "to cleave," Old Norse klofi, Middle Dutch clove "a cleft."  

Others are reading

Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of petroglyph

petroglyph (n.)
a carving or line drawing on rock (especially one made by prehistoric people);
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near petroglyph

petrified

petrify

petro-

petrochemical

petrodollar

petroglyph

petrol

petroleum

petroleur

petrology

Petronilla

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper