Meaning & use
petroglyphs
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“petroglyphs” is a form of “petroglyph”.
Meaning
nounplural
Plural of petroglyph: pictures or symbols carved or scratched into rock surfaces by people in the past.
Grammar: Plural of a countable noun: the petroglyphs were thousands of years old.
Patterns
- petroglyphs of something
- petroglyphs on something
The canyon walls are covered in ancient petroglyphs of deer and hunters.
Visitors must not touch the petroglyphs because oils from skin damage them.
Archaeologists date the petroglyphs to about three thousand years ago.
Word forms
| singular | petroglyph |
|---|
Common combinations
- ancient petroglyphs
- The ancient petroglyphs show animals and spirals.
- carve petroglyphs
- People carved petroglyphs into the sandstone cliffs.
- petroglyphs and pictographs
- The park has both petroglyphs and pictographs.
- protect the petroglyphs
- Rangers protect the petroglyphs from vandals.
- study petroglyphs
- She studies petroglyphs in the desert southwest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rock carvings
- Rock carvings is the plain-English phrase, while petroglyphs is the technical archaeological term.
- rock art
- Rock art is broader because it includes painted pictures, while petroglyphs are only carved or pecked.
- pictographs
- Pictographs are painted on rock, so they are a different type of rock art.
- engravings
- Engravings can be on any material, and petroglyphs are specifically on rock.
Word family
- petroglyph noun
- a single rock carving
- petroglyphic adjective
- relating to rock carvings
- hieroglyph noun
- a picture symbol in ancient Egyptian writing
- petrify verb
- to turn to stone or frighten greatly
Commonly confused: petroglyphs or pictographs? petroglyphs or hieroglyphs?
petroglyphs vs pictographs
Pictographs are painted onto rock, while petroglyphs are cut into it.
petroglyphs vs hieroglyphs
Hieroglyphs are a writing system, especially Egyptian, while petroglyphs are a form of rock art.
Practice
How are petroglyphs made?
Choose one answer.
Petroglyphs are cut, pecked or scratched into rock. Painting is how pictographs are made, so that option is a tempting but wrong one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “petroglyphs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.