Definition of MENHIR

menhir

Meanings

Plural: menhirs

Noun

  • a tall upright megalith; found primarily in England and northern France
  • A single tall standing stone as a monument, especially one dating to prehistoric times.

Origin / Etymology

PIE word
*méǵh₂s
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂sder.?
Proto-Celtic *maginos
Proto-Brythonic *maɣɨnder.
Breton maen
Proto-Indo-European *seh₁-
Proto-Indo-European *-rós
Proto-Celtic *sīros
Proto-Brythonic *hirder.
Breton hir
Breton maen-hirbor.
French menhirbor.
English menhir
Either borrowed from French menhir, or from its etymon Breton maen-hir, compound of maen (“stone”) + hir (“long”). Compare with Welsh maen hir, and Cornish men hir.

Synonyms

standing stone

Scrabble Score: 11

menhir is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
menhir is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
menhir is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

menhir is a valid Words With Friends word