cuneiform

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• cuniform

Etymology

From French cunéiforme or New Latin cuneiformis, from Classical Latin cuneus (“wedge”) + -iform.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /kjuːˈniːɪfɔːm/
• (US) IPA: /kjuːˈni.ə.fɔɹm/

Adjective

cuneiform (not comparable)

1. Having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped.

   a cuneiform bone

2. Written in the cuneiform writing system.

   cuneiform script

3. Relating to, or versed in, the ancient cuneiform writing system or its inscriptions.
   • Rawlinson

     A cuneiform scholar.

Synonyms

• wedgelike
• wedgy

Translations

shaped like a wedge — see wedgelike

Noun

cuneiform (plural cuneiforms)

1. An ancient Mesopotamian writing system, adapted within several language families, originating as pictograms in Sumer around the 30th century BC, evolving into more abstract and characteristic wedge shapes formed by a blunt reed stylus on clay tablets.
2. (anatomy) A wedge-shaped bone, especially a cuneiform bone.

Derived terms

• cuneiformist

Translations

ancient writing system

• Bulgarian: клинопис (bg) (klinopis) m
• Catalan: cuneïforme (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 楔形文字 (cmn) (xiēxíng wénzì)

• Dutch: spijkerschrift (nl) n
• Finnish: nuolenpääkirjoitus (fi)
• German: Keilschrift (de) f
• Greek: σφηνοειδής γραφή (el) (sfinoeidís grafí) f

• Japanese: 楔形文字 (ja) (kusabigata-mo’)
• Macedonian: клинесто писмо (mk) (klínesto písmo) n
• Persian: میخی (fa) (mixi)
• Polish: pismo klinowe (pl) n
• Portuguese: cuneiforme (pt) m
• Russian: клинопись (ru) (klínopis') f
• Swedish: kilskrift (sv) c

wedge-shaped bone

• Catalan: cuneïforme (ca) m
• Finnish: ‎kiilamainen luu (wedge-shaped bone in general); vaajaluu (fi) (cuneiform bone)
• Greek: σφηνοειδής (el) (sfinoeidís) f

• Macedonian: клинеста коска (mk) (klínestа kóska) f
• Portuguese: cuneiforme (pt) m
• Russian: клиновидная кость (ru) (klinovídnaja kost’) f