dolmen

Borrowed from French dolmen. Perhaps incorrectly fabricated from Breton taol maen (taol (“table”) + maen (“stone”)) (the correct compound would be *taolvaen, not **daolmaen^[1]). See also menhir.

• enPR: dōl′mən, dŏl′-^[1]
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdəʊ̯l.mən/, /ˈdɒl-/, (older) /ˈdɔːl-/

  Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈdoʊ̯l.mən/, (cot–caught merger) /ˈdɑl-/

  (General American, without the cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈdɔl-/

  (Canada, without the cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈdɒl-/

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈdəʉ̯l.mən/, /ˈdɔl-/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈdɐʉ̯l.mən/, /ˈdɒl-/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈdol.mən/, /ˈdɔl-/
• (India) IPA^(key): /ˈɖoːl.men/, /ˈɖɔl-/
• Rhymes: -əʊlmən, -ɒlmən
• Homophone: dolman
• Hyphenation: dol‧men^[1]

dolmen (plural dolmens)

2. (historical; strictly) A prehistoric megalithic tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones, most having originally been covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow.
3. (loosely) Any megalithic tomb, including passage graves and wedge tombs.

Not to be confused with dolman.

• cromlech
• portal tomb
• quoit

• cairn
• menhir

• dolmen on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “dolmen”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• Lemond, Meldon, Molden, molden, old men, old-men, oldmen

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /dɔl.mɛn/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: dol‧men

dolmen m (plural dolmens)

2. (historical) dolmen (tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones)

• “dolmen”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

First attested in c. 1870. Borrowed from French dolmen. Traditional local denominations of dolmens include anta, arca, forno, casota.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɔlmeŋ/ [ˈd̪ɔl.mɪ̃ŋ]
• Rhymes: -ɔlmeŋ
• Hyphenation: dọl‧mĕn

dolmen m (plural dolmens)

2. (historical) {l|en|dolmen}} (tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones)

   Synonym: anta

   • 1883, Manuel Lago, Obra:

     Ai! Cando funguen os ventos nas polas do castañal xa non ruxirán as armas qu'alí tiñan nosos pais...! Donde fixemos fogueiras os carrascos nacerán, e no dolmen en qu'ibamos de noite a sacrificar, criaránse herbas e toxos i os mouchos aniñarán... Cobrirán silvas i hadreiras as pedras do noso lar, e sobr'as mámoas dos mortos xente allea pasará

     Woe! When the winds hum in the chestnut branches no longer will roar our father's arms there! Where we lighted bonfires, oaks will grow, and at the dolmen where we made our sacrifices at night, weeds and gorses will grow and the owl will make nest... Brambles and ivies will cover the stones of our home, and over the barrows of the dead, alien people will walk

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “dolmen”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “dolmen”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Borrowed from French dolmen.

dolmen m (plural dolmens)

2. (historical; Jersey) dolmen (tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones)

Borrowed from French dolmen.

dolmen n (plural dolmene)

2. (historical) dolmen (tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones)

Borrowed from French dolmen.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdolmen/ [ˈd̪ol.mẽn]
• Rhymes: -olmen
• Syllabification: dol‧men

dolmen m (plural dólmenes)

2. (historical) dolmen (tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones)

• “dolmen”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

dolmen c

1. definite singular of dolme