cuneiform

[ kyoo-nee-uh-fawrm, kyoo-nee-uh- ]
See synonyms for cuneiform on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped.

  2. composed of slim triangular or wedge-shaped elements, as the characters used in writing by the ancient Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and others.

  1. written in cuneiform characters: cuneiform inscription.

  2. Anatomy. noting or pertaining to any of various wedge-shaped bones, as of the tarsus.

noun
  1. cuneiform characters or writing.

  2. a cuneiform bone.

Origin of cuneiform

1
First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin cune(us) “a wedge” + -i- + -form
  • Sometimes cu·ni·form [kyoo-nuh-fawrm] /ˈkyu nəˌfɔrm/ .

Words Nearby cuneiform

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cuneiform in a sentence

  • The early inhabitants of Armenia, who have left us inscriptions in the cuneiform character, also belonged to it.

  • The history of cuneiform writing is especially instructive as regards the point under present discussion.

  • As M. mile Burnouf tells me, three dots in a row, in the Persian cuneiform inscriptions, denote royal majesty.

    Troy and its Remains | Henry (Heinrich) Schliemann
  • Burnouf, denote royal majesty in the Persian cuneiform inscriptions.

    Troy and its Remains | Henry (Heinrich) Schliemann
  • In regard to the history of these monarchies, much light has been obtained from the decipherment of the cuneiform inscriptions.

British Dictionary definitions for cuneiform

cuneiform

/ (ˈkjuːnɪˌfɔːm) /


adjective
  1. Also: cuneal wedge-shaped

  2. of, relating to, or denoting the wedge-shaped characters employed in the writing of several ancient languages of Mesopotamia and Persia, esp Sumerian, Babylonian, etc

  1. of or relating to a tablet in which this script is employed

  2. of or relating to any of the three tarsal bones

noun
  1. cuneiform characters or writing

  2. any one of the three tarsal bones

Origin of cuneiform

1
C17: probably from Old French cunéiforme, from Latin cuneus wedge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012