Meaning & use

cuneiform

noun·Advanced

An ancient writing system made up of wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets, first developed by the Sumerians.

See it in a sentence

Archaeologists deciphered the cuneiform tablets to learn about ancient trade records.

Cuneiform was used across the ancient Near East for centuries before the alphabet spread.

A note on using this word

Cuneiform is pronounced kyoo-NEE-uh-form, with stress on the second syllable, and comes from the Latin word 'cuneus', meaning wedge.

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