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Glite Dictionary
petroglyph

petroglyph

6 9.9
A picture or mark cut into rock by ancient people
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛtrəˌɡlɪf/
  • Specialized
: petrografía
  • Now what you see below me are Native American petroglyphs.
  • petroglyph panel
  • petroglyphs carved
  • petroglyph depicts

There's a point on their petroglyph timeline that we have now passed.

Examples

  • Its towering walls are covered with North America's largest concentration of petroglyphs and pictographs.

    Academic text (2007)

  • "The gorge appears to have one of the largest concentrations of Archaic petroglyphs in the northern Rio Grande," Fowles says.

    Academic text (2008)

  • However, she was determined to discover whether the petroglyph actually existed before she began to make claims for its connections.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • A photo of the same petroglyph, covered with local election slogans, was taken in 2000.

    Academic text (2002)

  • A gallery of ancient Indian petroglyphs surrounds him on all sides.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The children had gone a little past Pink Mesa because they had spotted some petroglyphs on the rocks beyond.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The people who carved the petroglyphs either lived here as hunter-gatherers or traveled through the territory.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The team located and photographed close to 2,000 petroglyphs, mostly Archaic, Puebloan, and early Spanish.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The ancient site features beautiful petroglyphs carved into the rock by early inhabitants.

  • Visitors frequently come to see the petroglyphs that depict animals and human figures from thousands of years ago.

Synonyms

glyph
vspetroglyph
15 8.9

A carved or written sign that stands for something in writing

is specifically a rock carving or line drawing often prehistoric
diaglyph
vspetroglyph
  • Specialized
9.9

A carving with the design cut below the surface of a stone or gem

is a rock carving or line drawing that is not only sunken
anaglyph
vspetroglyph
  • Specialized
9.9

A shallow carved design that slightly stands out from a flat background

is a carving or line drawing on rock rather than specifically raised

Surface Forms

petroglyph singular
petroglyphs plural

Morphology

petroglyph = petro- + glyph (semi-transparent) = petro + glyph

Formed from petro- ('rock') + glyph ('carving'); the meaning 'rock carving' is compositional but relies on specialized combining forms that may be unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

The word petroglyph comes from Greek parts petro- meaning 'rock' and -glyph meaning 'carving', the same -glyph found in hieroglyph. So a petroglyph is a picture or design carved into rock, often made by people long ago.