menhir
- noun
- /mɛnˈhɪr/
:
menhir
- (n50) Christian attacks on the sacred stones resulted in a new breed of Christianized menhirs that were considered holy throughout the Middle Ages.
Examples
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In the old days, at a function like this, there would have been a great ring of standing stones around Fetko, dolmens and menhirs in pistachio pants, with nicknames like Big Mack and One-Eye.
Fiction book (1997) -
The two menhirs near Sauzon stood facing one another across a dirt road (one eventually collapsed to the ground, much to La Touche's distress; it has now been restored to its former erect position).
Academic text (2015) -
I think in that moment I realized just how long I'd been lugging that particular menhir around.
Blog text (7) -
Were menhirs, standing stones used for ancient worship.
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The Celtic dolmens, menhirs, and alignments were all formed around a knowledge of cycles.
Academic text (2005) -
Menhirs and megaliths, venerated in the Druidic religion, were targeted by Early Christian missionaries in Gaul, especially Saint Martin.
Academic text (2005) -
Rollright contains all the principal structures of interest to Earth Mystery researchers: a stone circle, an isolated menhir (the "Kingstone") some fifty yards from the circle itself, and a collapsed dolmen (the "Whispering Knights").
Academic text (1990) -
The ancient menhir stood proudly in the field, a testament to prehistoric craftsmanship.
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Visitors to the site marveled at the tall menhir, which dated back thousands of years.
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Archaeologists discovered a menhir buried beneath layers of soil during their excavation.
Synonyms
2
7.7
A tall upright stone from very long ago placed alone or in a group
1
9.2
A monument of very large stones that dates from long ago
How Tall
Surface Forms
Etymology
Menhir comes from the Breton words men 'stone' and hir 'long', so it literally means 'long stone' and is easy to remember because menhirs are tall, upright stones set up in very old times.