Meaning & use
dolmen
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablespecialist
A prehistoric stone monument made from one large flat stone resting on upright stones, usually thought to mark a burial place.
Grammar: Countable: a dolmen, several dolmens.
Patterns
- visit a dolmen
- a dolmen in a place
We hiked across the moor to see an ancient dolmen.
The dolmen was probably built more than five thousand years ago.
Farmers in the area once used the dolmen as a landmark.
Word forms
| plural | dolmens |
|---|
Common combinations
- an ancient dolmen
- An ancient dolmen stands at the top of the hill.
- Neolithic dolmen
- The Neolithic dolmen was dug out by archaeologists.
- stand a dolmen
- Builders raised each dolmen without metal tools.
- megalithic dolmen
- The megalithic dolmen is the oldest structure in the village.
- visit a dolmen
- Tourists often visit a dolmen on the coast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cromlech
- Cromlech is an older, mainly Welsh and British term for a dolmen, though it can also mean a stone circle.
- megalith
- A megalith is any huge ancient stone, so it is broader than a dolmen, which is a specific structure.
- portal tomb
- Portal tomb is the modern archaeological term for the same type of structure.
Word family
- dolmenic adjective
- relating to a dolmen
- megalith noun
- a very large prehistoric stone
- megalithic adjective
- made of or related to huge stones
Commonly confused: dolmen or menhir?
dolmen vs menhir
A menhir is a single standing stone, while a dolmen is a table-like structure made of several stones.
Practice
What is a dolmen?
Choose one answer.
A dolmen is an ancient monument made of upright stones holding a flat one. The other options do not describe this stone structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dolmen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.